ReelBob: ‘Here Today’ ★★★

A warm, sometimes maudlin, dramedy pairing Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish that, despite its shortcomings, will embrace you like an old cardigan.

“Here Today” is a warmhearted comedy that offers a dollop of laughs, a drop of heartbreak and a pinch of regret.

The movie stars Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish as an odd, platonic pair who form an unlikely friendship.

At times, the tone of “Here Today” is funny, maudlin and weepy.

It is built around Crystal’s congenial persona, which, for decades, has served him as a nonthreatening and endearing everyman in standup comedy and on film. And Haddish’s optimistic, outsized personality complements his.

Crystal, who directed the movie and cowrote the script with Alan Zweibel, plays Charlie Burnz, a veteran comedy writer, playwright and screenwriter whose best days — and years — are behind him.

He is working hard to keep up with the young writers at a “Saturday Night Live”-like sketch comedy show.

Crystal and Haddish have a cute-meet when Haddish’s Emma Payge shows up for a luncheon with Burnz that her ex-boyfriend won at an online raffle. (His high bid was $22.)

Emma has no idea who Charlie is. After a comic sequence at the restaurant that lands Emma in the hospital — for which Charlie is presented with the bill — Emma shows up at his door to begin repaying him.

A friendship slowly begins as the two enjoy going around New York City together.

Charlie, though, has a secret. He is declining cognitively — battling a form of dementia that is making it difficult for him to recognize people, remember names and retain memories.

He has memorized specific landmarks so he can walk to work and has photos of his family members with their names attached tacked to a corkboard in front of his desk. One of the film’s shortcomings in the script is that Charlie’s struggles with this disease are not fully fleshed out; it seems more a plot device than a full-fledged medical crisis.

Charlie’s adult children are ill-defined as well. We only learn that his son, Rex (Penn Badgley) — born in the Museum of Natural History — is an architect and his daughter, Francine (Laura Benanti), is a tight ass, bearing a grudge against her father because of a family tragedy. They seem more props than characters.

The heart of the movie is the relationship between Charlie and Emma. She figures out Charlie’s problem and puts her career on hold to become his short-term caregiver.

Haddish displays some emotional depth and empathy that make her decision to help Charlie — while a bit far-fetched — more acceptable.

“Here Today” has an underlying sadness. Charlie has never forgiven himself for the death of his wife — killed in a car accident. He blames himself because they were arguing before she drove off. And he believes his children also hold him responsible.

“Here Today” has a sweetness to it, despite all its underlying drama. Charlie’s mentorship of Darrell (Andrew Durand), a struggling, up-and-coming writer for the comedy show, is touching and kind.

Crystal, the director, makes some missteps — a few sequences are too over-the-top, but otherwise, “Here Today” is a very enjoyable movie. It’s like an old cardigan that makes you feel warm and snuggly.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

HERE TODAY
3 stars out of 4
(PG-13), sexual references, language