What comes to mind when you hear the name Bobcat Goldthwait? If you said comedian, you’re not alone; some might even remember the comedian from memorable bit parts in Scrooged, Police Academy, and Tapeheads. The fact is, Goldthwait is also an accomplished director of films and television with a long list of credits to his name. He made his debut as a comedian in 1980. Goldthwait was also good friends with the late, great Robin Williams. The two first met on the comedy club circuit and performed together under the pseudonyms Jack Cheese and Marty Fromage.
Goldthwait directed a very dark film called Shakes the Clown which was panned and hardly seen by anyone, and stepped away from directing for quite a while until 2004, when he began directing the late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live. At that point, the show had been on the air for about a year. While Bobcat was directing, ratings for the show skyrocketed to over two million viewers each night as well as doubled its popularity with teenagers.
Goldthwait left Kimmel in the spring of 2006 and since then, he’s directed six films and 37 projects overall. Goldthwait has also directed a number of comedy specials for other comedians including Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, Iliza Shlesinger, and Eugene Mirman. He is truly a multi-hyphenate creative person, with his work in comedy, acting, and directing. Here’s every film Bobcat Goldthwait has directed.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Shakes the Clown (1991)
IRS Media
Bobcat Goldthwait made his directorial debut with 1991’s Shakes the Clown. While not a scary clown movie, this film arguably has more darkness than any IT wannabe could ever muster. Shakes the Clown is a dark comedy about a clown who works kids’ birthday parties despite the fact that he’s a depressed alcoholic who is being framed for murder.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
RELATED: Bobcat Goldthwait Talks Setting Fires, Robin Williams and More on World’s Best Dad Podcast
Goldthwait plays the clown as a terrible mess of a human being, and the nightmarish images of drunk, angry clowns in bars is unforgettable. The film skewers the communities of clowns, mimes, and other amateur performers and depicts them as clicque-ish, cult-like gangs vying for status over the other types of performers. The film is a dark satire of the world of standup comedy (‘clowns’), and how dysfunctional it is.
6 Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)
Roadside AttractionsSamuel Goldwyn Films
Sleeping Dogs Lie is another dark comedy, about the destruction of a woman’s life after she mentions a spontaneous act of oral sex she performed on a dog. Melinda Page Hamilton starred in the film that was screened at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the category of Independent Dramatic Features. Ultimately, the film is about how complicated honesty is. The legendary cult classic director John Waters is a fan of the movie and presented it as one of his favorite films at the 2007 Maryland Film Festival.
5 World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
Magnolia Pictures
World’s Greatest Dad starred Goldthwait’s friend Robin Williams in a great performance as Lance, a high school teacher whose son died in an embarrassing accident that he covered up with a fake suicide note. This act leads the lonely man to garner an avalanche of media attention from his community, with people (who previously dismissed Lance’s writing) adoring his fabricated suicide note as great literature. His relationship with a co-worker is going nowhere, but the media attention could bring him all the fame and fortune he’s always dreamed of… if he can live with the lie about his son’s death.
4 God Bless America (2011)
In God Bless America a terminally ill man (a fantastic and melancholic Joel Murray, Bill’s b rother) who is estranged from his wife and daughter and is bitter and lonely teams up with Roxy, a similarly disenfranchised 16-year-old girl, to rid society of its worst people. He has nothing to lose after all, since he’s dying. The tagline for the movie is: “Taking out the trash, one jerk at a time.” The film is essentially misanthropy personified, a nihilistic blast of anger which is essentially Goldthwait’s cinematic revenge on stupidity and vapidity. The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and remains a modern cult classic.
3 Willow Creek (2013)
Dark Sky Films
Willow Creek tells the story of Jim and Kelly, a couple who visit Willow Creek, which is the rumored home of Bigfoot. In the film, the legendary character was caught on film at this location in 1967. Jim is the Bigfoot fan, and Kelly just goes along for the ride as he tries to prove that the creature is more than a mythological creature. Like most of Goldthwait’s films, Willow Creek contains an element of satire in the storyline, but is the first time the director delved into entertaining genre work, bringing great comedy to the horror aspects of the film (something also seen in his horror-comedy anthology show Misfits & Monsters). Goldthwait followed this up with a clever mock-documentary short film, American Bigfoot.
RELATED: 16 Robin Williams Movies That Defined His Legendary Career
2 Call Me Lucky (2015)
MPI Media Group
Call Me Lucky is a documentary about the life and career of comedian Barry Crimmins. He’s been working for decades but most people have never heard of him, which pisses him off. His ribald-style of comedy skewered the complacency of 1980s America and what he considers its disastrous foreign policy. In the film, Crimmins reveals his painful and dark past and how it inspired him to speak out and become an activist. Call Me Lucky premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and is an anomaly in Goldthwait’s career, but it’s clear that he cares greatly about Crimmins and his story. The film is a must for fans of stand-up comedy, and features the comics Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, David Cross, Steven Wright, and many more. Goldthwait has also recently directed a comedy special following him and Dana Gould across the country, titled Joy Ride.
