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Poster for A Thousand Clowns

A Thousand Clowns

... IT'S A LIFT FOR THE SPIRITS

1965 · 1h 58m · UNRATED Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by Fred Coe

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Overview

Twelve-year-old Nick lives with his Uncle Murray, a Mr.Micawber-like Dickensian character who keeps hoping something won't turn up. What turns up is a social worker, who falls in love with Murray and a bit in love with Nick. As the child welfare people try to force Murray to become a conventional man (as the price they demand for allowing him to keep Nick), the nephew, who until now has gloried in his Uncle's iconoclastic approach to life, tries to play mediator. But when he succeeds, he is alarmed by the uncle's willingness to cave in to society in order to save the relationship.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
69%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Terrif dialog to match Robards' scenery-chewing create a sock impact.

Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh

The humor is still surprising, and Mr. Robards is still full of spice with his clownish wise-cracks and the map of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey stamped all over his face.

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Rotten

The mechanics of the Herb Gardner script show through much too clearly for this to qualify as anything other than shrewdly programmed entertainment.

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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