2023’s I Used To Be Funny is like eating a rainbow cake made of bitter gourd. Underneath the facade of a non-linear screenplay that pushes us to trust that our protagonist was at her A-game in the standup comedy scene before a traumatizing incident gave her crippling depression and PTSD, is a simple story about a young woman who can’t seem to find her footing in the world that constantly pushes her deeper and deeper into the ground until she disappears completely. The film is a lesson in using humor as a gateway into a person’s darkness. A beautiful exploration that keeps you watching to make sure the protagonist, Sam, is able to say “I am funny” rather than “I Used To Be Funny” again. Sam is a comedian who has been off the grid for several months because of a terrible incident. So much so that her roommates and besties, Paige and Philip, congratulate her for showering because it’s an improvement on how her days have been passing. While the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face have completely been erased, there’s still a hint of jolly old laughter within her that she tries to push out in the social setting, which is their breakfast table. While I Used To Be Funny film is told from a non-linear perspective, to understand it a little better, let’s break it down in order of how things went down.
Spoiler Alert
What happened to Sam?
Sam, Paige, and Philip are struggling comedians who get paid in laughs rather than cash, not being able to make enough for rent. Sam decides to take up the role of an au pair because it’s something she’s done before and is comfortable with, and it’s something that won’t tamper with her aspirations (you know, the life of all Gen Z creatives). Sam’s hired at a rich household with a mother who is in hospital with a pre-teen daughter and a cop-father, who is basically looking for a semi-parent in the nanny. Brooke is a difficult girl; she’s not only too old to have a nanny, but she’s also terrified of losing her mom, which is something her father doesn’t know how to deal with; his solution is to bury himself in his work. Lucky for him, Sam and Brooke get along like a house on fire thanks to Sam’s unique sense of humor and her understanding nature, which makes her an older sister figure for Brooke. At the same time, Sam’s dating a man named Noah, who is kind and delighted to be with this impressive woman. It seems her life is quite perfect. But it seems Cameron, Brooke’s father, is quite the sexist cop, and to vet her, he watches some of her skits, calling her “actually funny.”
While Sam is fantastic at dealing with Cameron’s comments with snarky replies that even Brooke finds entertaining when she’s alone with the man and his cop buddies one night, it really starts to sink in how far gone these men are. Even the idea of being alone with these cops is quite terrifying, and Sam, who is handed a beer, has no means of escape but her sarcastic jokes. While there are many such little instances littered through her time at the household, it is on the night of Sam and Noah’s anniversary that things spiral out of control in seemingly no time. Sam tells Brooke she needs to head home, and it’s quite late already, and it’s her anniversary. After a sweet conversation about whether Noah makes a “good boyfriend,” Sam heads down to the kitchen to wash up the dishes while Brooke finally goes to sleep on a high dose of sugar.
While Sam’s washing the dishes and getting ready to leave, a drunk Cameron returns home and asks Sam to stay a little longer because he wants to “talk to her.” He tells her that he’s just seen some of her skits and learned that she’s into rough sex. Sam’s immediately uncomfortable and tries to leave, but Cameron pushes her down, telling her they’re only roleplaying and everything will be just fine.
Fortunately, we don’t get to see any of the graphic details of what follows; however, the one moment of Cameron placing his massive hand on Sam’s neck is enough to make us truly feel the horror of what’s happened. When Sam’s able to pull herself together and deal with the situation, her immediate response is to get out of the house with Brooke. She tells Brooke that there is a carbon monoxide leak and gets her out of the house. She takes Cameron’s car and gets out as far as possible until Brooke makes her stop the car, and Sam finally makes a call to the police.
What happens between Brooke and Sam?
Unsurprisingly, Brooke cannot trust a word Sam says because it’s her father they’re talking about. Sam’s picked up by the police. She does the appropriate tests and files a complaint against Cameron. I suppose we can fill in the gaps here; we can believe Brooke and Sam don’t talk again until the trials. During the trials, Cameron’s lawyer tries to use Sam’s standup skits against her, claiming that saying she “liked it rough” as a joke much before she even knew Cameron was reason enough for Cameron to believe she gave her consent. To add to this, Brooke claims Sam was in love with her father; even though they had many discussions about Noah, Brooke even spent time with the both of them. Fortunately, though, there’s enough evidence against Cameron, and he’s imprisoned for five years, losing his job, money, everything, and “ruining” Brooke’s life. When Noah and Sam go to pick up her things, Brooke calls her a liar and says some terrifying, harsh things about her. Brooke’s aunt Jill is looking after her at this point, and she tells her that she must not talk about women that way, but Brooke really doesn’t seem to care. On a side note, Jill was always very kind to Sam, and it would make sense if she took up the job in the first place because of her.
How Did Sam find Brooke?
Some months later, Sam learns that Brooke’s been missing; this is where I Used To Be Funny film begins. Sam, who has just had her first shower in what we can imagine is a long time, is yet again paralyzed by the idea that the girl she used to take care of is missing after her father abused Sam. Brooke is 14 by now, and she’s gone off with the wrong crowd, running away from home to do drugs and be a rebellious child because, according to her, Sam destroyed everything good that she had. We’ve got to realize here that Brooke comes from privilege, too, and her treatment of Sam isn’t simply begrudging but is also a deep-rooted stigma. How could a simple girl like Sam destroy her family? However, this isn’t an unpleasant film; in fact, it’s about redemption (not for the assaulter, of course).
Sam finds Brooke with an 18-year-old man who recognizes her as being the comedian who was raped, another reason to take a dig at her. Sam is now a changed person, though, and she won’t take anything lying down. She pepper sprays the boy in the eyes and escapes with a drugged-up Brooke. In her motel room, Sam helps get the drugs out of Brooke’s system, and after they verbally abuse each other, Brooke finally admits that the reason she hates Sam is because she left her all alone. Even if her father had done it, Brooke needed Sam to be selfless and help her instead of leaving her completely in the dark. This is after Sam tells her how what Cameron did completely ruined Sam, so much so that she can’t eat, sleep, or shower, but most importantly, she’s not funny anymore. Whose life is truly ruined, then? Before getting sent off to her aunt, Brooke bargains for a trip to Niagara Falls, a place they had spoken about many times, and Sam takes her.
In I Used To Be Funny‘s ending, Sam finally returns to the stage, “traumatized but funny as hell,” being able to joke about her abuse and how it turned the world against her. I guess reconnecting with Brooke was the thing that Sam needed the most to get over her trauma. Yes, it was Cameron who did the terrible deed, but it was Brooke’s hate that truly broke Sam. Finding her again helped Sam find herself and her joy back. At the end of the film, we see her return with a spark in her eyes and a big, radiating smile on her face, ready to face the world yet again, one joke at a time. Suppose she doesn’t need to say “I Used To Be Funny” any longer.
