From Omeleto.
Two comedians put on a show.
TONIGHT’S SPECIAL WITH KAREEM AND JOHNNY is used with permission from John Connor Hammond. Learn more at https://instagram.com/tonightsspecial.show.
Kareem and Johnny are two comics in New York struggling on the circuit. In a last-ditch attempt to kickstart their careers, they decide to put together a comedy showcase, but the only place they will let them do it is Kellogg’s Diner, an old-school joint in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The two men discover it’s not so easy to put on a show, as they scramble to book higher-profile acts to pull people in and deal with the eccentric staff of Kellogg’s. As they approach the night of the performance, their fingers are crossed that all goes well, everyone shows up — and they sell enough food to keep the venue happy.
Directed by John Connor Hammond and co-written with Kareem Rahma and Johnny Gaffney, this entertainingly shambolic comedy short blends the controlled chaos of a workplace comedy with a only-in-New-York show-biz yarn, as it chronicles the triumphs and travails of the two hapless stand-up comedians fighting against the odds to save their careers. Interspersing some leading lights of New York comedy (including the acclaimed Janeane Garafolo) with Kareem and Johnny’s behind-the-scenes antics, it makes for both an ambitious, unconventional riff on the stand-up special and a love letter to Brooklyn’s grizzled authenticity.
Fast-paced, energetic and lively, the high-octane storytelling wastes no time setting up the stakes and then setting its characters loose. Captured in grab-and-go camerawork, Kareem and Johnny hustle and scramble to make the showcase happy. Much of the humor and interest comes from their encounters with a madcap cast of characters along the way, ranging from cranky diner customers to skeptical managers to eccentric fellow comics. The "let’s put on a show" energy is infectious, fun and unpredictable, as are the comedians’s routines. Underneath the screwball spirit and sometimes raucous jokes, though, is a surehanded sense of storytelling that builds up anticipation for the opening night — and amps up the suspenseful question of whether or not it will be a triumph or disaster.
Through it all, Gaffney and Rahma — also known for the popular SUBWAY TAKES series — are engaging presences, playing off one another with crack timing. They manage the trick of playing comedians whose jokes are sometimes corny but who are themselves hilarious, as they strive for goals that may be just beyond their reach. They’re also both a lot of fun to watch, and they make perfect guides for the audience as they zig and zag through all parts of New York, frantically corralling all their resources for their career Hail Mary pass.
Entertaining, authentic and rollicking throughout, TONIGHT’S SPECIAL WITH KAREEM AND JOHNNY is both a document of Rahma and Gaffney’s real-life comedy showcase in New York and an affectionate tribute to a beloved neighborhood institution. With its premise, it has the feel of being pulled together, slapdash and improvised. But under its veneer of chaotic energy, its storytelling is slyly accomplished and consistently engaging throughout, with a sharp eye for what makes New York — and New York comedians — unique and distinctive. And though it celebrates the abrasive, gruff and tough-talking spirit of its neighborhood, it’s ultimately a friendly, welcoming film, inviting its audience to sit back and hang on for the ride, enjoying a taste of the city and some laughs for the night.
