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1988 film by David Seltzer

Punchline is a 1988 American comedy drama film written and directed by David Seltzer and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Its story follows a talented young comic as he helps a housewife who wants to break into stand up comedy. It stars Sally Field, Tom Hanks, John Goodman, and Mark Rydell. The film was produced by Daniel Melnick and Michael I. Rachmil and was released on October 7, 1988. It grossed $21.0 million in the United States and Canada, against a budget of $15 million.

Steven Gold is a struggling medical student who moonlights as a stand up comedian. It quickly becomes evident that he is lousy at the former and excels at the latter. And yet, when he is given a chance at the big time, he cracks under the pressure. Lilah is a dedicated housewife who yearns to be a comic. She has the raw talent but does not have the command of the craft that Steven possesses. At first, Steven doesn't give Lilah the time of day. One evening he is derailed by the unexpected appearance of his father and brother, both medical professionals. Lilah's unfailing support wins Steven's affections and he teaches her the fundamentals of stand up comedy. Lilah has spent her cookie jar money to buy jokes. Steven advises her to connect with the audience to unveil the honest humor in her life as a wife and mother. Lilah discovers her natural gift of making people laugh. An uneasy friendship develops between the two as they share the personal conflicts they must resolve: Steven's desire to make it big vs. his inability to do so and Lilah's love of comedy vs. her love for her family. Steven, beginning to appear emotionally unstable, develops a romantic attraction to Lilah–to her dismay. She struggles to remain loyal to her family and her friend, while maintaining her conviction and love of comedy. One rainy evening after Lilah has rejected him, Steven mimes a painful rendition of Gene Kelly's famous dance routine from Singin' in the Rain. The film culminates in a competition at the "Gas Station" comedy club where Steven, Lilah and other aspiring comedians have been performing. A judges panel of television executives promise the winner a prime time opportunity and possible stardom. As the comics compete on stage, the characters also grapple with conflicts among their desires for success on stage, their loyalties to one another, and the expectations of their families. Pending the judges' final tally, with a note of support from her husband in her hand, and hearing Steven has only two of the five judges' votes, Lilah withdraws "in case the winner is me" and persists in leaving when the club owner reveals she was in fact the winner. Lilah leaves with her husband who, after watching his wife do stand up for the first time, is won over and begins suggesting ideas for her next set. The pair walk away arm in arm reminiscing about the funny and endearing sayings of their children. Inside, Steven is declared the winner of the show, which reflects Lilah's judgment and that of their competing fellow comics.

David Seltzer wrote the first draft for Punchline in 1979 after becoming fascinated by comedy clubs while looking for someone to play a psychiatrist on a television pilot that he was writing. He had a development deal with the movie division of ABC. Originally, the tone of the film was more good natured a la Fame (1980) with more characters and less of an emphasis on Steven Gold. In 1986, producer Daniel Melnick found the screenplay for Punchline among twelve other unrealized scripts in the vaults of Columbia Pictures. The writer also served as comedy consultant for the movie, recruiting fifteen comics to populate the comedy club Steven and Lilah frequent. Two months before Punchline went into production, Tom Hanks wrote a five minute stand up act and performed it at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. As Hanks recalls, "it was pure flop sweat time, an embarrassment. That material lasted 1 minute 40 seconds, and it had no theme." Hanks ended up performing more than thirty times in clubs in Los Angeles and New York City. Chairman of Columbia David Puttnam wanted to release Punchline during the Christmas of 1987, but the film wasn't ready. One review in The Washington Post read that it "commits the unforgivable sin – it's a movie about comedy that's not funny." Another review in the same newspaper declared that "Seltzer has certainly redeemed his past (ever catch that Six Weeks thing between Dudley Moore and Mary Tyler Moore, or the Jon Voight Table for Five?). He should just avoid projects where you have to use the word 'bittersweet' – and grab at any others that star Tom Hanks." The film opened on 4 screens in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto and grossed an impressive $160,742 during its opening weekend. It went on to gross $21 million in the United States and Canada.