At first glance an inoffensive plodder of a movie about a veteran comedy writer grappling with the early stages of a rare form of dementia, Here Today is in fact a glossily disingenuous piece of work. It’s a film that sets out to tackle the impact of degenerative disease, but, barring a few moments of confusion and a forgotten name or two, is infuriatingly evasive when it comes to showing the realities of the condition.
Co-written, directed by and starring Billy Crystal, as TV writer Charlie Burnz, it is, unsurprisingly, a showcase for Crystal’s affable comedic charms. Which is fine, if droll sentimentality is your bag. But the film largely fails to capitalise on the considerable talents of Tiffany Haddish, playing the aspiring jazz singer who, after a chance encounter with Charlie, offers him the support that his semi-estranged family have failed to provide.
