Rachel Sennott stars in I Used to Be Funny, a messy but realistic story about how we move on from trauma.
In art, we frequently see women who have PTSD having a violent streak in them. The only thing on their mind is vengeance. It’s only when their attacker suffers their punishment that they can finally be free from the pain they have endured. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In her feature film debut, I Used to be Funny, Ally Pankiw explores the more realistic side of trauma. Pankiw captures the distancing from loved ones, the abandoning of hobbies, and just struggling to get up and take a bath.
Rachel Sennott plays Sam, an up-and-coming comedian who decides to take a nannying job for extra cash. Brooke Renner (Olga Petsa) is a spunky 12-year-old who loves skateboarding and sci-fi movies. She quickly becomes close to Sam and looks to her as a maternal figure when her own mother passes away.
But after a tragic incident, Sam starts to lose herself. Not even her passion for comedy is able to prevent her from spiraling. It’s only when Brooke goes missing that Sam decides to confront her demons and help find her old friend.
A dynamic duo.
On paper, Pankiw’s film is pretty run-of-the-mill, but Sennott and Petsa’s presence makes it shine. As seen in 2020’s Shiva Baby, Sennott is a pro at blending comedy with drama and is no different here. Sam is messy, and Sennott embraces that mess effortlessly. With her enormous eyes and deadpan delivery, she tells a joke in one line and shifts to a serious monologue immediately after without any effort.
And despite not looking like a 12-14-year-old, Petsa brings a vulnerability to her character that’s both enraging and tragic. There are moments when you want to shake her, but her reactions are totally believable given the situation. Whenever she and Sennott are in the same scene, they bring very different types of pain to their performances. It’s almost enough to make you forget about the lukewarm story.
A dud on the page.
At best, the script is not memorable, and at worst, it’s a bit cringey. Pankiw’s script is full of Gen-Z and millennial jargon such as “slay,” “ACAB,” and “girlboss” as if she was going through an Urban Dictionary checklist. Sam’s best friends—Paige and Philip—are victims of this writing and don’t evolve beyond these stereotypes. It’s a shame because their scenes with Sam are wholesome and touching, especially when they have to confront her on how her PTSD is affecting them.
On a technical level, I Used to be Funny has several questionable creative choices. First, the editing is very distracting and relies on cliché methods to illustrate PTSD. The distant voices, chaotic cuts, and annoying sounds to signify flashbacks are all present in the film. Unfortunately, they are nothing short of eye-rolling. The random Phoebe Bridgers and MUNA needle drops are almost distracting, especially since no other songs appear. If Pankiw is a Bridgers fan, she should’ve committed to the bit and made her the whole soundtrack.
The bottom line.
With her background in television writing, Pankiw is clearly devoted to making women’s stories more raw and genuine. While I Used to Be Funny didn’t hit all the right notes, its heart was in the right place.
I Used to Be Funny is available now to rent. You can watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Utopia. You can read more reviews from Yasmin Kleinbart here.
REVIEW RATING
-
I Used to Be Funny - 6/10
6/10
