Club Land

• Director: Saul Rubinek
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Family Drama, Period Film
• Themes: Fathers and Sons
• Main Cast: Alan Alda, Steven Weber, Brad Garrett
• Release Year: 2001
• Run Time: 120 minutes

Plot

Alan Alda stars in this period drama as Willie Walters, a talent agent booking acts into nightclubs in the 1940s. Willie would like his son Stuey (Steven Webber) to join him in his business, but Stuey isn't so sure that's the path he wants to take in life, and his uncertainty starts to drive father and son apart. Club Land also stars Louise Lasser and Robert Weil, and was directed by noted actor Saul Rubinek. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Review

This period drama, much of it set in a musical supper club, takes the viewer inside a unique profession, that of talent management at a time the business was changing. The examination of a father-son relationship under intense pressure is somewhat overwrought, but veteran Alan Alda and Steven Weber, who also wrote the script, do well in keeping much of the melodrama from boiling over. There's no villain, so the dramatic friction must come from the heat between the main characters, but, unfortunately, Stuey seems to give up about half-way through. The best scenes are those involving the comedians and singers in the Walters' stable, with Brad Garrett turning in a disturbingly convincing performance as Lou Montana, an arrogant, obnoxious comedian whose stock in trade is insulting everyone he meets. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Alan Alda
• Steven Weber
• Brad Garrett

Harvey Atkin

Credit

Saul Rubinek - Director