Comic gold

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PUNCHLINE (A-minus) - I'm a sucker for this somewhat sappy yuk-fest starring Tom Hanks as a medical school dropout doing killer stand-up at a New York dive club with a bunch of other wannabe stars, including Sally Field as a Roseanne-style housewife-comic. I used to watch it repeatedly back in the early '90s, when it seems like it aired once a month, always on Sunday night after the late news on the local ABC station in Chicago.

I know, that sounds almost depressing. But "Punchline" is smart and winning, and Hanks and Field have a delightful rapport. As Steven Gold, he is a skilled stand-up comedian, and Field (playing harried suburban mom Lilah Krytsick) is at the top of her game here.


Hanks was still fumbling his way to stardom, coming directly off of "Big," but spinning his wheels four years after "Splash" and still five years before "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Philadelphia." (He still had to spit out "Turner & Hooch" and "Joe vs. the Volcano" before Oscar was to come calling.) Here, he is still young and raw, and you can almost see his dramatic chops getting beefed up. He's bitingly funny throughout, but he also finds some depth as a man with an immature, snide streak; he's a cocky comic dealing with the shame of not living up to his father's expectations.

David Seltzer (the writer of "The Omen" and random fare like "Bird on a Wire") has a firm handle on the lifestyle and psyches of stand-up comedians. The supporting cast is appealing, including Damon Wayans and Taylor Negron as fellow stand-ups and Mark Rydell as the club emcee, Romeo. The winsome Kim Greist ("Brazil," TV's "Chicago Hope"), as a talent scout, is always welcome. And Goodman, in the same year as "Roseanne" debuted, plays snubbed middle-class hubby well.

There's plenty of stand-up here (one of the comics does his shtick dressed up in a nun's habit, a smirky nod to Field's early days), and the routines are believable -- some are good, some are bad, some just OK. Gold's location gig for hospital patients and staff, utilizing his two years of medical school as source material, is genuinely a hoot. Seltzer has created an authentic world that feels familiar. Gold, a natural, pushes Lilah to pursue her latent talent; Seltzer fumbles their relationship a bit, but it works in the end.

The film builds to a showdown at the club, as the top 10 comedians participate in a televised contest, with the winner getting a ticket to the big time. Gold's a lock to win, unless he melts down and blows it. Drama ensues as the votes are being tabulated and the comics wait nervously below stage, and Field tosses one of the best exit lines out over her shoulder, telling Romeo off in a perfectly low-key way.

This is charming, old-fashioned storytelling. It's a welcoming little world.