The Film I Watch To Feel Down: The Entertainer

This movie is the poster child for the plight of mediocrity. 

Archie Rice is a man of very little talent and even less conscience. As the world is falling apart around him, he chooses not to acknowledge his dire circumstances. 

The whole story reminds me of the grey town in C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” where there is no joy, no meaning, and a persistent state of self-deception. It leaves me as empty as Olivier’s face as he sags against the life preserver. 

While the credits roll, I can almost hear Amadeus’ Salieri blessing the asylum inmates as he’s wheeled down the hallway, “Mediocrities everywhere, I absolve you.”