No Cure for Cancer (1992) (TV)

Director:

Ted Demme

Writer:

Denis Leary (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy

Plot:

Ticked off comic Denis Leary talks honestly about subjects ranging from smoking, red meat, drugs, his family, rehab, and yes, cancer. |

Plot Keywords:

Cancer | Smoking | Drugs | Child Abuse | Sex

Cast

Denis Leary	...	Himself
Chris Phillips	...	Himself
Adam Roth	...	Drummer

Also Known As:

Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, drug and sex-related humor.

Runtime:

62 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | USA:TV-MA | Australia:R

Company:

Channel 4 Television Corporation

Trivia:

The night of the show's taping, the crew set up but through some error gave the actors no access to the bathroom. Just before the show, Denis Leary had to use the bathroom badly but had no way of getting to it. Chris Phillips took a look at the crowd and seeing no way to get Denis to the bathroom without making the audience believe the show had started, handed Denis a bucket.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Muppet character Big Bird (performed by Caroll Spinney) sang a quavering rendition of “(It's not easy) Bein' green” at Jim Henson's funeral, not Kermit the frog.

Quotes:

Denis Leary: Most people think, "Life sucks, and then you die." I disagree. I think life sucks. Then you get cancer. Then you go into chemotherapy. You lose all your hair, you feel bad about yourself. Then all of the sudden the cancer goes into remission, and then all of the sudden you have a stroke. You can't move your right side. And then, maybe, you die.

Movie Connections:

References Little Caesar (1931)

It is offensive to some, but a clear classic never the less

It's an eight flirting with a nine. Forget that, it is a classic, so it gets nothing less than a nine. Ted Demme, save for the coke problem that unfortunately took his life, is brilliant. I don't mean to be insensitive; however, it is fitting here. I believe the next time someone uses a quote of a movie and criticizes it they should get it correct. Leary says "I'm sick and tired of our generation getting called the TV generation. Well all you guys did was watch TV. What'd ya expect? We watched Lee Harvey Oswald get shot, live on television, one day. We were afraid to change the channel for the next 30 years. This show sucks. Yeah, but someone might get shot during the commercial - -hang on."

The point is Leary is ignorant, but brilliant. He wrote this while he and his wife were shacked up in Massachusetts and unable to move. That family part of him comes through in the movie, not the CD. There are more songs on the CD and as good is it is, the movie is better. The ending is maybe a bit cheesy, but fluent with Leary, and fair. The weakest part is his proclamation of love for New York City, when he in fact he seethes so much Bostonian love that part loses some cred. During "Comics Come Home" he says who cares that Eddie Brill won New York Comic of the year three times? Because he's from Boston. But as if Leary would really care. In addition to that the "poodle man" sequence, with regards to NYC, is out of sight. He plays to the audience, not the camera. It is a movie, not a stand-up special.

As for the Bill Hicks comments: who? I have a feeling Leary would say that. After all, during his roast he roasted Peter Gallagher for having a uni-brow and Mario Cantone for being gay and slipping it past his family. There after, he kissed Cantone on the lips (Gallagher wasn't present). Leary is sincere and honest, for the Comedy troupes, to the charities, to his new show. And like he said he is "an a--hole," but a damn funny one