

The Dark Backward
1991-07-26 · 101 min · ★ 5.7
A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.
Trailers are previews, not full movies.
No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.
Production details
- Directors
- Adam Rifkin
- Production companies
- Unavailable
- Countries
- United States of America
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- USD 2,000,000
- Revenue
- USD 28,654
Top Cast
Judd NelsonMarty Malt
Bill PaxtonGus
Wayne NewtonJackie Chrome
Lara Flynn BoyleRosarita
James CaanDr. Scurvy
Rob LoweDirk Delta
Claudia ChristianKitty
Billy Bob ThorntonPatron at Sloppy's
Danny DaytonSyd
Anna BergerMrs. Malt
Tom HodgesMarjorie Zipp
Charles KnappSloppy
Adam RifkinRufus Bing
Tony CoxHuman Xylophone
Tonya Reneé BanksHuman Xylophone (as Tanya Banks)Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.
Where to watch
Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.
Seasons & episodes
Recommendations

From a bee getting shot in New York City to paying strangers to take his aging father, Louis C.K. unleashes the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.

Exploring every facet of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon’ to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle, this biopic takes audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic’s life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time.

In his first special in seven years, Ricky Gervais slings his trademark snark at celebrity, mortality and a society that takes everything personally.

Jimmy Carr refutes the idea that you can't joke about anything these days with his edgy takes on gun control, religion, cancel culture and consent.

Jimmy Carr finds humor in the darkest of places in this stand-up special that features his dry, sardonic wit — and some jokes he calls "career enders."

Comedian Bill Burr sounds off on cancel culture, feminism, getting bad reviews from his wife and a life-changing epiphany during a fiery stand-up set.

After a prank blows up a studious high school senior's life, he shares a list of certain things he wishes he'd done differently — and maybe still can.

An up-and-coming stand-up comic moves to L.A. to pursue a film career after video clips of his act make him an online sensation.

A familiar-looking group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by a more-than-vaguely recognizable masked killer! As the victims begin to pile up and the laughs pile on, none of your favorite scary movies escape the razor-sharp satire of this outrageously funny parody!

Adam Sandler hits the stage for a thrillingly unpredictable comedy special featuring songs, jokes, party-crashing dogs and plenty of love.

Facing a world gone sideways, comedy icon Dave Chappelle delivers bold truths and potent punchlines in this no-holds-barred special.

Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.

Anthony Jeselnik celebrates 20 years of delivering boundary-pushing comedy to the masses in this razor-sharp stand-up special.

With his family away, a devoted stay-at-home dad enjoys his first me time in years by joining his hard-partying old friend on a wild birthday adventure.

Combining his trademark wit and self-deprecating humor with original music, Bo Burnham offers up his unique twist on life in this stand-up special about life, death, sexuality, hypocrisy, mental illness and Pringles cans.

Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.

Fresh from a tour, comedian Katherine Ryan shares shrewd observations about school bullies, revenge bodies and raising a very fancy child.

Monty Python perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl, including several from pre-Python days.

86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.

The eccentric new manager of a UHF television channel tries to save the station from financial ruin with an odd array of programming.
Similar titles

Ilana Glazer: The Planet is Burning features Ilana's thoughts on homophobes and Nazis, how crappy women's razors are, and what a joke the patriarchy is.

Sam and Miguel are your typical come-what-may laborers, collecting garbage in flashy subdivisions. In their workplace, they get maltreated by two of their co-workers, sometimes getting them into trouble.

Jerry Seinfeld returns to the club that gave him his start in the 1970s, mixing iconic jokes with stories from his childhood and early days in comedy.


Fifties throwback Mark Lamarr first came into the public eye on 'The Word', but had been a stand-up comedian on the comedy circuit before then. After appearing on 'Shooting Stars' and hosting 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks', he returned to his gigging roots and this set was recorded live in 1997 at the Wilde Theatre, Berkshire, England.

A couple of stand-up comedians re-evaulate their relationship as one moves up in their career while another remains stagnant.


Dennis Miller examines the current stat of our Union. From the blunders of President Obama's healthcare initiative, to our wild efforts to save the planet, his take on today's America is both hysterical and painfully right on target.

Stand up comedian and political commentator Dave Smith's first hour special with the GaS Digital Network. Dave's stand up explores the underbelly of the American political infrastructure and shines a light on our own hypocrisy when it comes to social issues such as racism and sexism. Dave has a fresh approach to political comedy. He doesn't simply align blindly with one side of the political spectrum like many of his contemporaries but would rather call bullsh*t on both sides.

A teenager is resurrected as a plant-headed zombie, searching to find his past happiness and humanity. How long will it all last though, knowing that life may change again when the sun goes away?


After his movie and television career has run dry, Bruce Madsen (Adam Carolla) is forced to go back on the road playing one dingy comedy club after another, spending endless nights in budget hotel rooms and always flying coach. Amidst trying to revitalize his career, rekindle his love life and put his daughter through college, Bruce knows one thing for sure - he must get off the road. ROAD HARD is the story of that journey.

Sam, a soldier who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, meets Amira when he visits her uncle, Bassam, who had served as Sam's Iraqi translator. Bassam and Sam have a special bond due to their time together in the war. Initially Amira does not trust him because he was an American soldier and her brother was killed by a bomb from American troops in the war. Sam's cousin, Charlie, asks Sam to help him with illegal hedge funds unbeknownst to Sam at the time. Amira is staying with her uncle Bassam since her father died. She sells bootlegged films on the street corner but is forced to stay with Sam after getting busted; immigration officials begin pursuing her. As the film progresses, Sam and Amira fall in love.

Filmed live from the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, 'The Book of John' is the sold-out, highly anticipated new show from Rhod Gilbert, which critics have called 'uproariously funny' - The Guardian. Raw, personal and brutally honest like never before, Rhod takes us on a non-nonsense journey into finding the homour when you've hit rock bottom.

Steve Martin's fourth NBC special was in the spirit of his previous association with Saturday Night Live. It was broadcast live from Studio 8H, produced by Lorne Michaels and featured some original cast members of the show.

In this hilarious one hour comedy special, Kanan Gill squints at a variety of subjects ranging from the difficulty in talking to your parents to The Constitution of India. It's easy to keep it funny. Kanan keeps it real.

Eight young people from various reasons and motives coincidentally rob a bank at the same time. They had to work together to find answers to the puzzles, and find the best solution for all.

Hernán Jiménes explores his 12 years long career as a comedian in this hour and half routine in front of the Costa Rican audience in the National Auditorium

Jimmy Della Valle is an Italian-Irish American Comedian and Actor from New York. Jimmy's rapid-fire stand-up comedy special is about his dysfunctional family, two scratch minimum Latina wife and cat Marvin, all-in poker playing gambling life, and mafia streetwise unique point of view. Jimmy's TV/film credits: The Sopranos, Without a Trace, America's Got Talent, Conan, Comedy Central, Rivers 9.

Performing stand-up for a packed house in London's Hoxton Hal comedian Bridget Christie dives into the politics of gender, sex, and equality.