“Kansas City, how you guys doing?”

From The Opening Act.

Because he was practically raised on stand-up comedy specials, Will (Jimmy O. Yang) has made stand-up not only his passion, but also his life goal.  Will’s life in middle-of-nowhere Ohio has been stuck lately because while he has a great girlfriend (Debby Ryan), he’s struggling at his dull job with his terrible boss (Bill Burr) and also struggling to get more stage time at the bar where he does stand-up.  When his friend and fellow stand-up comedian, Quinn (Ken Jeong), takes a new comedy gig, he reaches out to Will, asking him to fill in for him as emcee at the Pennsylvania Improv club.  Will is excited for the opportunity, especially when he learns that the headliner is his comedy hero, Billy G (Cedric the Entertainer).  When he arrives at Improv, Will meets the club’s manager, Chip (Neal Brennan), who introduces Will to the club’s sound guy (Jermaine Fowler) and the weekend’s opening act, Chris (Alex Moffat).  Thrilled for the opportunity to work with such comedy legends, Will’s first few sets go well, but hanging out with Chris and seeking advice from Billy G leads Will on a wild and tumultuous journey of self-discovery.  While trying to follow the advice of all the stand-up greats around him, Will’s sets take a jumbled hit, and as the weekend emcee job draws to a close, Will must find a way to show his commitment, love, and talent for improv to the audience.

This comedy features a wide variety of comedy and stand-up legends, which adds the the film’s attraction.  Yang is genuine in his comedy, both the scenes where he struggles and where he thrives.  Some of the content and language will be unappealing to viewers looking for carefree laughs, but fans of stand-up will all find something to laugh about with The Opening Act.

| Rated: NR| Running Time: 90 minutes |Genre: comedy|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 7* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 0 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|