Martin And Lewis Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Every end has a beginning.
Even at the start of his singing career, Dean Martin is an impressive gentleman, big, tall, hansom, exquisitely dressed, fitting his nightingale voice and naturally classy appeal, even though his womanizing costs him enough in alimony to declare bankruptcy. Jerry Lewis on the other hand is an unsightly schmuck, whose buffoon version of stand-up comedy is an agent's nightmare. When he accepts playing MC in a show with Dean, he tries interacting with him, and they hit gold judging by the audience's reactions. Initially Dean wants to walk off and stay a solo act, but success as a duo is irresistible, and they rocket together, even in Hollywood. However in time they fall out of friendship as their characters and lifestyle clash, and Dean still dreams of solo success.
| Sean Hayes | Jerry Lewis |
| Jeremy Northam | Dean Martin |
| Paula Cale | Betty Martin |
| Sarah Manninen | Patti Lewis |
| Kate Levering | Jeanne Martin |
| Scott McCord | Abby Greshler |
| Steve Brinder | Danny Lewis |
| Rhona Shekter | Rae Lewis |
| Conrad Dunn | Lou Perry |
| Bill Lake | Hal Wallis |
| Tony Nappo | Jimmy Napoli |
| David Eisner | Lew Wasserman |
| Aron Tager | Max Coleman |
| Robert Morelli | Skinny D'Amato |
| Markus Parilo | Irwin Woolfe |
| John Gray |
6.40 out of 10 (323 votes)
Visitor Reviews
above average TV fare if you're interested in the 50s
posted on 07 Jul 2009I was pulled into this movie, despite a clichéd and standard TV movie type script. This was probably due to the performances and good recreation of the times.Sean Hayes does not look like Jerry Lewis but made a good stab at recreating his manic energy and routines. Only in the dramatic scenes did I feel a lack of insight in his performance.Jeremy Northam convinced admirably with his laid back Dean Martin, unfortunately he had little material to work with script wise but got across Dino's couldn't care less attitude which rolled along for years with Lewis until he could take no more.I think the fault with the movie was that it was made when only one of the duo has passed on, so perhaps there were Lewis traits that had to be down graded at the expense of Martin. However to be fair they did show some of Lewis's control freakery and joke stealing that led to the final breakup.Still for a TV movie it was definitely above average, these 2 stars were huge successes in their partnership days, and each went on to show their own brand of showbiz genius as they went their separate ways afterwards. In the end a rather sad story.
martin and lewis rocks
posted on 27 Dec 2008this movie was an excellent bio pic about the martin and lewis duo. the movie was well planned and was so close to actual events that really happened. nothing in that movie was made up. jerry lewis was played by sean hayes. hayes delivered a wonderful performance and was very much like his character jack mcfarland from will and grace. the resemblance did not hurt his performance at all though. jeremy northam who played dean martin was an excellent choice for the role but i think a little more practice with miming the words to the songs would not hurt. all in all i highly regard this movie as it is so close to the truth unlike some movies which twist the truth so much. i rate this movie very highly because the story line was 100% true and the acting was very convincing. on a scale of 1 to 10 i rate this a 10. it was a very good movie
The life of the comedy pair, plays out as a tragedy
posted on 28 Oct 2008Actors (so runs one school of thought) are miserably malleable people who's principal talent is their ability to simply morph into their stage characters. Look no further than this movie, for a prime example of such. Martin and Lewis (ably played by Northam and Hayes), shallow folk with little real talent who through happenstance fortuitously hit the show business equivalent of the lottery, cannot handle relationships, their success, or each other. In the end, the pair's life of comedy plays out as a tragedy.
Poignant, authentic and hysterical
posted on 03 Feb 2008I was riveted by the story and the acting. Excellent procuction values. Sean Hayes was fantastic, delivering a true breakthrough performance. Jeremy Northam and Paula Cale exhibited a sense of the period and volatility of the situation without venturing into cliche. Bravo!! Beautifully directed and produced.
One-sided story filled with inaccuracies, mostly in regards to Dean Martin
posted on 30 Sep 2007Let me state from the start that this film certainly could have been worse. With that said, it was far from a stellar offering. The actor that played Jerry Lewis did a good job. However, the actor that played Dean Martin didn't looked at all like him. But that's just casting. The problems with this film is much deeper. To make it brief, the film is a one-sided story filled with inaccuracies, mostly in regards to Dean Martin, his life, his attitudes, and his contributions to, and feeling about, the Martin & Lewis partnership. It's easy to see why Jerry Lewis liked this film. To be fair, the film does touch on Lewis' jealousies of Martin and his need to always be the center of attention. However, it only does so in passing, and avoids really getting into the huge role Lewis' jealousies and bad attitude played in breaking up the team. Furthermore, its portrayal of Dean Martin, and his personal life, is riddled with clichés. Anyone who knows the least thing about the real Dean Martin - not the roles he played in his films or his nightclub act - can easily point out where the film substitutes fiction for truth because it makes a more interesting story, and makes Lewis come out looking better. In short, if you're looking for the truth, this film does not deliver.
Comedy through a nostalgic haze
posted on 25 Aug 2007I found this made-for-tv biopic somewhat of a let-down. While not exactly a Martin and Lewis fan, I can appreciate the chemistry between them, and the unfettered physical comedy of Lewis. I didn't really see it here. Everything seemed so labored. Another problem, admittedly not of the movie's doing, is that it's so hard to do convincing re-creations of their routines when they are still so visible on film. Such re-creations pale in comparison to the real thing, and unfortunately, they made up 75% of this film. In spite of opinions to the contrary, I think it would have been best to concentrate on the private lives and behind-the-scenes machinations of the team instead of making them obligatory backstory. If we cut through the nostalgic haze, "Martin and Lewis" can be seen for what it is--a poor attempt to bring back an example of the Golden Age of Comedy, to a medium where good comedy, slapstick or otherwise, is in such short supply.
A great movie, and also accurate.
posted on 17 Apr 2007This movie was so great. Sean Hayes played Jerry Lewis almost flawlessly. The story was accurate and the movie was well made. Though they only had 2 hours to get the whole story, it was almost all in there. The most important parts were covered. This movie was AWESOME. I hope they put it on DVD.
The guy who played Dino
posted on 24 Feb 2007Great actor don't get me wrong, but he hardly sounds like Dean when he talks. He's pretty good a lip syncing. I saw him in NYC once...Either way they should of gotten Joe Montegna for Dean, being that he's portrayed Dino in a movie already and Brad Garrett should of done that little appearance by Jackie Gleason, also being that he played Jackie Gleason on "Gleason" that CBS movie. Casting, with the exception of Jerry Lewis, wasn't that good. The movie itself was good though. I especially like how they portrayed last show. The way that slowed everything down a bit and had "Oh Marie" playing, which is good song too. And I like that song "Side by side" they sung at the end as well.
good film...good acting
posted on 18 Feb 2007i saw this film when it first premired on T.V. i thought it was a lot better than some of the reviews i had read about it. the acting i thought was flawless. Sean Hayes proved to me that he is more than Jack on "Will and Grace." he is the only actor who looks anything like Jerry Lewis. i thought Jeremy Northam did a great job as Dean Martin. at first i didn't think he looked anything like him but i watched it again and i can see he does. the rest of the cast did a wonderful job as well. so all in all good film...good acting. 8 out of 10
Pretty interesting
posted on 25 Jan 2007If you liked Martin and Lewis movies, then you'll like this movie. It tells of the rocky history that may not have known about these two. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. Even though it was a made for TV movie, You'll still like it. I would even watch it again.
Actors outshine medium...
posted on 13 Jan 2007More and more, as the evolution of television leaps forward with such groundbreaking shows as 24, Band of Brothers and 6 Feet Under, we are taught how antiquated and limited your basic TV Movie has become. No better example here in MARTIN AND LEWIS which in years past would shine as your basic movie-of-the-week. But now, with those shining comparisons, it seems like a low-budget, commercial-laden highlight reel of a much longer and complex tale. That being said, the one thing that does rise above it's medium here is the talents of both Northam and Hayes. Jeremy Northam has a twinkle in his eye as he dances around the murmuring voice cadences of Dean Martin (who seems to be positing that Martin sounded drunk even when he wasn't...if that is possible). I don't know another actor who could so effortlessly play Martin's playful masculinity. Unfortunately the actor is forced to go from 0-60 because he must portray divorce, conflict and then playful boozer in scenes back-to-back. The same can be said of Hayes ,who has the unenviable job of homaging an actor still alive and is under that scrutiny (with the apparent well-wishing Lewis on-hand). Both actors live up to their spot-on casting but the production seems bogged down by it's limited time-length and by the length of ground it needs to cover (which it wearily tries to compensate for by endless scrolls of posters portraying the countless films these two did together). All in all, a great effort but, once again, it leaves one asking..."Why didn't they do this on HBO?" which is less a criticism of the movie than of network programming altogether.
cliches from beginning to end
posted on 27 Sep 2006The film is bio-pic cliches from beginning to end, but it reeled me in and kept me watching. There are definite parallels to the Jackie Gleason tv movie which aired just a few weeks ago (unhappy, womanizing, drunk makes good in 50's show business); ironically, Gleason shows up at the end of this story.I was never able to stop seeing Sean Hayes as `Jack' (from `Will and Grace') instead of as Lewis, although that is not to say that he did a particularly bad job in this role. Jeremy Northam used a very strange accent as Dean Martin, which I found particularly distracting; he did a lousy job lip-synching to the songs, and for some reason, most of the remaining dialogue seemed dubbed, too.I never would have guessed that pre-Martin Lewis was `doing Andy Kaufman' -- 25 years before Andy Kaufman did it.
This is awful!
posted on 26 Mar 2005Okay, tell me the truth....the people who have written these glowing reviews are complete Martin & Lewis fanatics. This is one of the worst "true" stories ever made. Sean Hayes stinks as Jerry Lewis. He doesn't look like Jerry, can't move like Jerry, and sure can't mug like Jerry. And Jeremy Northam as Dean Martin? Please...Dean was cool...Northam is not. Not only doesn't he look like Dean, sound like Dean, or move like Dean, he plays him with no charm or style. His acting is worse than Sean Hayes and thats sinking pretty low. Anyone who can rate this movie above a 1 either never saw the real Martin & Lewis or is a complete fan. I like Martin & Lewis movies....but by the REAL guys, not these fakes.
Anti-Dean Martin film is a let-down
posted on 06 Dec 2004I think a better title for "Martin & Lewis" would have been, "Dean Martin was nothing without Jerry Lewis". Sadly, this was not true.It's no surprise that Lewis said he loved this film. At the same time, I'm sure if Martin were alive today, he would feel he had just been roasted, in a bad way.It seems as though this film was actually written by Jerry Lewis or by fans of Lewis angry at Dean Martin. The portrayal of Dean Martin in this film as an alcoholic, philandering, friend of mobsters is wholly inaccurate. This TV-movie would have you believe that without Lewis, Martin would have gone down in flames early in his career. Again, this is simply not true. Dean Martin was already a success when Lewis came along with sole comic routine. Further proof against this fallacy is the fact that Martin went on, after the dissolution of the partnership, to a very successful career in films and music.The real story as to why this partnership broke-up? Jerry Lewis was an insecure, money-grubbing, control-freak that would steal Martin's lines and would be jealous of any attention Martin would get. Does this TV-film allude to any of this? To its' credit, yes, it does, but the films' writers dire need to try and show a balanced reason for why the comedy team broke up moves past these issues far too fast and attacks Martin in ways that have no connection to reality.The worst part of all this is that I didn't even find myself laughing at any of the "comic" bits that were in this film. I think if you're going to make a film about one of the most successful comedy teams in history, you should at least make some of it funny.
Good acting-believable time-piece.
posted on 26 May 2004Biopics can be a dangerous and tricky business, especially when actors portray other actors. In this case all was well. The acting was good and the sets were well planned. Sean Hayes was perfectly cast as the zany Jerry Lewis. Jeremy Northam, on the same hand, had that dangerous charm that the early Dean Martin was known for. However, his lip-synching was occasionally far off and when speaking he often sounded distractedly more like Humphrey Bogart than Dean Martin.Overall, the energy and the mood was well maintained, and we got to see inside the lives of two wonderful talents from the past.Hats off!
As fine as a performance as I've seen on tv
posted on 26 Apr 2004T.V. Movies are rarely as noteworthy as those we see on the silver screen, this collaboration is an exception. Sean Hayes depicted Jerry Lewis to a tee, and if he doesn't garner an Emmy nomination for this, then I decree the Emmys are fixed. Jeremy Northam also gave a stellar performance as the stoic Dean Martin. If you enjoy a good biographical epic, then this picture is definitely one to see.
An entertaining and seemingly factual TV movie that leaves you wanting more...
posted on 17 Mar 2004MARTIN & LEWIS was the 2002 TV movie that traced the rise and eventual destruction of one of the greatest show business teams in Hollywood history. Even though I have always felt Martin and Lewis are worthy subjects of a theatrical biopic, I will take this over nothing. This movie starts in the 1940's and showcases the beginning of both of these show business legends and implies that both were struggling and about to go under when, according to this film, both were booked at the same club and Lewis inserted himself into Martin's act and the audience thought they were so funny together that they became an act that sold out nightclubs and eventually segued into a lucrative movie career. I don't know for sure how close it is to the truth, but this film depicts Jerry Lewis as an insecure, career-driven ego maniac who sincerely thought he was the brains of the act and that they would be nowhere without him and Martin is the guy who just sort of allowed Lewis to push and prod him through their success until Lewis' ego got to be too much for Dean to take. Whether or not this is what really happened, I guess only Dean and Jerry can say for sure, but it made for an immensely entertaining TV movie that had me riveted from start to finish. Sean Hayes received an Emmy nomination for his nearly flawless recreation of Jerry Lewis, from an insecure unknown comic begging for his dad's approval to the egomaniac whose insecurities, paranoia, and control issues drove Martin and everyone else to the edge. Jeremy Northam's powerhouse turn as Dean Martin matches Hayes note for note. Martin's singing voice is dubbed in for the musical sequences, but the rest is Northam, who brings Martin's easy and laid back persona beautifully to life here. He may not really resemble Martin physically, but Martin's personality, spirit and even his speaking voice were on the money for me here and the interaction between Northam and Hayes is kinetic here...a joy to watch. Mention should also be made of Paula Cale as Dean's first wife, Bettya and to Kate Levering as Dean's second wife, Jeanne. This TV movie was a triumph and one of the few times I wished a film could have been longer. This one definitely left me wanting more. I'm still hoping it will inspire a theatrical look at this legendary team.
Nearly unwatchable TV biopic
posted on 10 Dec 2003I was very excited to see this TV film that employs the talents of Jeremy Northam and Sean Hayes. What a let down! The story is told in such a connect the dots TV movie sort of way that I felt like I had seen it before. Jeremy Northam has a hammy good time playing Dean Martin. And while I never believe that he IS Dean Martin, Northam does create a character that is interesting to watch for about 45 minutes. Hayes, unfortunately, shows that, while a gifted physical comedian, does not have the chops to create a complex dramatic characterization. And, although his courage to tackle this part must be acknowledged, some of his recreations of Lewis routines are painful to watch. His need to prove to us that he is more than Jack McFarland is so clear here and he doesn't look to be having an once of fun. While watching this movie, I kept thinking about the worried conversations that must have been going on in the editing room. Best to steer clear of this one.
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the true story of the post-war comedy team
posted on 30 Aug 2009Save for a slight alteration of a fact in the genesis of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis saga, this made-for-television bio-pic is perfect in its story and depictions. The alteration concerns how the duo got together for what would be the triggering of their memorable 10-year partnership. The film shows Lewis, about to bomb himself out of his engagement at the 500 Club in Atlantic City, phoning Martin's (first) agent, Lou Perry. Lewis specifically asks him to send Dean to reprise their earlier-shown, spur-of-the-moment, stage collaboration (at the Havana-Madrid Club). In reality, it was the compassionate Perry who, upon receiving a frantic call from a sobbing Jerry Lewis asking for help, decides to send Dean Martin to the rescue. The result correctly is shown to be alchemic, and, for at first better-then-worse, the Martin and Lewis team is truly born. In 1973, Arthur Marx penned an outstanding bio-novel about the duo, "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime." As Marx, the writers/producers of this film are admirably unafraid to present full character profiles of Martin and Lewis. As human beings, the performers sometimes glaringly left much to be desired. Jeremy Northam and Sean Hayes, as Dean and Jerry, give excellent performances, as do Paula Gale and Kate Levering as Martin's first and second wives, Betty and Jeanne. This is a first-rate production, not the least of its values is its capturing of the post-war cultural flavor of the period in which the Martin and Lewis tandem flourished.