Tribeca Film Festival Has Impressive Comedy Lineup This Year

As we noted after last year’s event, New York’s Tribeca Film Festival has begun to carve out a place for itself in the pantheon of film festivals as a hospitable home for comedy of all kinds. That’s something that not only the fans, but apparently, the filmmakers, have noticed, as this year’s festival is jam packed with some truly funny, interesting and straight-up innovative new projects. Some of those trailblazing new comedies include:

Chris Gethard’s Career Suicide: We’ve been singing the praises of Gethard’s recent one-man show, Career Suicide, for months now, and were thrilled to learn that it had been picked up by HBO. While this hilarious, heartfelt and personal show isn’t scheduled to premiere on HBO until May 6th, it will be showing at Tribeca during the Special Screenings section.

Gilbert: This perhaps long-overdue documentary, playing during the festival’s Spotlight Documentary section, tells the story of the life and career of one of comedy’s most recognized and most interesting names: Gilbert Gottfried. The documentary will show how the comedian, who’s had roles in films from Aladdin and Thumbelina to Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Dr. Dolittle, has gone from a career-oriented lone wolf to a family man.

Literally, Right Before Aaron: This new take on the romantic comedy tells the story of Adam (Justin Long), a guy whose already frail psyche is thrown for a loop when his ex-girlfriend, Allison (Cobie Smulders), invites him to her wedding. While at the weekend-long event, Adam drowns his sorrows and considers how things got so bad for him. Supporting roles in the film will be played by Kristen Schaal (The Last Man on Earth), Luis Guzmán (Boogie Nights, Traffic), John Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future Part 2) and Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars).

Oh Damn: This short film, directed and written by Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, tells the story of a guy who smokes way too much weed before heading to the movie theater to meet up with a friend, and unwillingly gets sucked into “a dark, surreal series of events” throughout the establishment. This one will be screening in the Short Film Narrative section.

Don’t Mess with Julie Whitfield: Also debuting in the Short Film Narrative section, this short follows Oak Tree Elementary PTA member Julie Whitfield, whose position as coordinator of the school’s Fall Fantasy fundraiser is jeopardized by a new busy-body mom named Rachel. Rachel’s attempt to take over the position leads to “a bloody battle that only one woman can survive.”

Extravaganza: Now this one’s interesting. This bizarre satire project uses a mix of live action footage, 3D animation and virtual reality to put the viewer in the position of a puppet who’s trapped as a member of a glaringly offensive puppet show, taking place in front of a tone-deaf CEO (played by Paul Scheer of The League and Human Giant). The goal of Extravaganza is to pose the question to audiences: Can technology be a tool for social change, or is it just another way to highlight our already-glaring flaws?

Each of these projects promises to be stimulating, unique and absolutely hilarious, and they’re only a fraction of the total offerings at this year’s festival, which will take place from April 19th — 30th. For more information on dates, times and presentations available, head on over to the Tribeca Film Festival’s website.

The festival runs from April 18 through 30 this year and tickets to individual events are available now.

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler
Bill Tressler
Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.