In the same festival where she showcased her screenwriting chops, Rachel Sennott also showcased her dramatic side in I Used to Be Funny, a difficult drama that garnered less acclaim than Bottoms (2023). It’s understandable– while both films have a witty, gen-Z slant in its comedy, this drama is much harder to balance and heavy to watch, dealing with mental health and PTSD. The non-linear narrative occasionally does make the film feel a tad disjointed as well. However, there’s a care and a warmth from Ally Pankiw’s direction that makes this exploration of Sam’s complex trauma feel heartfelt, and Sennott holds each scene with compelling charisma.
"Sennott is perfectly cast, portraying Sam as simultaneously lifeless and hilarious with her default blasé attitude and dry-wit humor."
— Weiting Liu
"Pankiw and Sennott bring Sam’s story to life with an inventive yet sensitive approach, creating a sympathetic portrait of someone learning to cope with the tragedies of life and embrace their funny side despite it all."
— Monica Castillo
Sam, an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, weighs whether to join the search for Brooke, a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. The story unfolds between the present—where Sam tries to recover from her trauma and return to the stage—and the past, where memories of Brooke make it increasingly difficult to ignore her disappearance.
After the teenger she used to nanny ran away from home, former stand-up comedian Sam Cowell weighs whether or not to join the search, though her history with the family makes her reluctant to do so.
It makes sense to have a non-linear narrative in order to cultivate mystery around what happened, but at the start, the jump is jarring rather than natural.
Of course, I’m seated for Rachel Sennott.
