Carl Reiner’s 1967 debut film is, oddly, better made than any of his subsequent features—in those days, though, you could count on the residue of old Hollywood pros (such as cinematographer Joseph Biroc) to get a novice filmmaker through. It’s an autobiographical sketch, with Reni Santoni as a Jewish boy in the Depression determined to defect from his family’s drugstore business and become a professional comedian. With Jose Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Elaine May, Jack Gilford, Janet Margolin, Michael J. Pollard, and David Opatoshu.
