Comedy,Drama
United States of America
My Favorite Year is a 1982 comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, and Jessica Harper. The film is semi-autobiographical, as screenwriter Dennis Palumbo based the character of Benjy Stone on his own experiences working as a writer on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows in the 1950s.
The film follows Benjy Stone (played by Linn-Baker), a young writer working on a live variety/comedy show called The King Kaiser Show. When he learns that his childhood hero, the swashbuckling actor Alan Swann (played by O'Toole), is going to be a guest on the show, he is thrilled but also concerned. Swann is notorious for his hard-drinking, womanizing ways, and Stone is tasked with keeping him sober and making sure he makes it to the studio on time.
At first, Swann proves to be a handful, but he and Stone develop a rapport and a friendship. Throughout the film, they have various adventures, including going to a New York Giants game and getting locked in a meat locker. They also encounter a number of colorful characters, including the show's eccentric producer (played by Joseph Bologna) and Stone's slacker brother (played by Richard Benjamin).
In the end, Swann delivers a memorable performance on the show, and Stone realizes that he has grown up and become a more self-confident person as a result of his experiences working with Swann. The film was a critical and commercial success and is now considered a classic of the 1980s comedy genre.
