Punchline

PUNCHLINE, the first major release to hit on this subculture of comedy clubs and struggling comedians, is both funny and sad. Tom Hanks plays Steven Gold, a callous down-and-out comedian who spends more time delivering routines than studying for medical exams. Lilah Krytsick (Sally Field) is a New Jersey housewife who tells dirty Polish jokes about her husband and even resorts to buying jokes on the black market. After 18 months in stand-up, Steven is broke, has been kicked out of his apartment and dropped from med school, and seems not to have any friends. Then he learns that talent scout Madeline Urie (Kim Greist) is planning a television comedy contest, the winn...