Packing a visual punch of mind-numbing intensity and mining a rich seam of pitch black humour which often verges on the surreal, Peter Chelsom's follow-up to Hear My Song is as weird as it is wonderful.
Quirky to the point of eccentricity, Chelsom and Peter Flannery's rampantly enjoyable screenplay takes a marvellous cast of famous performers and virtual sideshow freaks and plunges them into a darkly comic tale of one man's journey of self-discovery.
The man doing the searching is Oliver Platt, an American comedian living in the shadow of his famous father (a legendary comic played by Jerry Lewis) who abandons America after he bombs with atomic proportions on stage in Las Vegas, thanks in no small part to Lewis stealing his thunder.

And it's during his dealings with this disparate trio that Platt slowly begins to learn not only about the true nature of comedy, but also his own family background, leading to a startling revelation concerning his seemingly flawless father.
What makes Funny Bones such a success is difficult to pinpoint, because for a film which essentially deals with comics and comedy, it's rarely laugh-out-loud funny, indeed, tragedy is one of its underlying themes.
Featuring more than 60 speaking roles, it's intelligently scripted, thoughtfully directed and peppered with stunning performances, with much of the film's appeal being down to Eduardo Serra's wildly effective photography, which brilliantly captures Platt's experiences in Blackpool in an apparent time-warp, full of images and details of how he remembers the seaside resort as a six-year-old.
The film's inherent quirkiness and wonderful weirdness is another endearing feature, The Parker Brothers working part-time as real-life exhibits in a ghost train ride while living under a rollercoaster being a particular standout.
There's also a totally bizarre audition scene early in the proceedings when Platt attempts to uncover some top-notch comic material which he can take back to America and pass off as his own. Said scene features a bagpipe-playing dwarf, a paper tearer, a man dancing with biscuit tins on his feet, a backwards talking man and the bastard son of Louis XIV, to name just a few (all genuine acts by the way).
But it's Lee Evans who catches his eye with a mime act in a club and it's Evans who proves to be a revelation in his feature film debut. He's so good, in fact, that he is in no way overshadowed by his real-life idol, Jerry Lewis. It's just a shame that Evans went on to star in a string of lackluster movies which all but wasted his obvious talent.
A film which skillfully blends mirth and malice, it also features Oliver Reed, who pops up in a cameo as part of a frankly unnecessary sub-plot (something involving dismembered feet).
In terms of pacing, the going may well be a tad slow, but while the tone it sets is far from being as lighthearted as its title suggests, Funny Bones is nonetheless a riotous success and every bit as good as its numerous film festival awards would suggest.

David Lichtneker