#SXSW: “I USED TO BE FUNNY” REVIEW

By Mr. Will Wong

Rachel Sennott (also at SXSW ’23 with BOTTOMS) continues her ascent, giving us range in Torontonian Ally Pankiw’s (The Great, Schitt’s Creek) self-penned directorial feature debut, I USED TO BE FUNNY. We meet Comedian Sam (Sennott) who is beginning to carve-out her own space in Comedy, but then suffers a trauma which de-rails her aspirations. All the while, she debates whether or not to reconnect with a missing teen whom she used to nanny, Brooke (Olga Petsa).

Upon initial glance, we’d have thought I USED TO BE FUNNY would lean more towards the quirky Comedy we’ve come to expect of Sennott in prior films like Shiva Baby and Bodies Bodies Bodies. However, other than traces of her inspired past, much of the jokes are presented in flashbacks. The focus is the present where Sam is struggling to get her life back on track and thanks to Pankiw‘s crafty storytelling, we try to figure out the connection why she’s so fixated on protecting the young and carefree Brooke. Though it takes a moment to establish its tone, we get a better understanding of where Sam is coming from the further along we get in the story.

That being said, Sennott undeniably is great and rises to the challenge, diving deep and exploring the numbness Sam feels in her languishment. This really is a glimpse into the aftermath of trauma and the struggle to re-discover one’s passion and purpose again, and sometimes we find that fire again in others.

I USED TO BE FUNNY screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:

I Used To Be Funny at Alamo Lamar E

Mar 13, 2023

2:30pm—4:15pm

I Used To Be Funny at Rollins Theatre at The Long Center

Mar 15, 2023

11:00am—12:45pm

I Used To Be Funny at Alamo Lamar A

Mar 17, 2023

3:30pm—5:15pm