If I were going to compare the writer, actor, comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks to a rock ’n’ roll musician, I might say he’s similar to Randy Newman. Like Newman, Brooks is a Los Angeles native who comes from a show-business family, and they share a deadpan approach and a mastery of humor. In other words, Brooks makes me laugh immoderately, and his early work — check out his 1975 track “Phone Calls From Americans,” from that year’s album A Star Is Bought — helps define the 1970s and ’80s as a post-countercultural era. Brooks turns the utopian dreams of the ’60s on their head in his 1985 movie Lost in America, in which he and co-star Julie Hagerty hit the road in search of the thrills they can’t find as well-compensated professionals in L.A. Lost in America includes a classic scene between Brooks and Garry Marshall you won’t want to miss. I admire all of Brooks’ films, and he’s funny because he’s so reasonable in the face of absurdity. As he told Letterboxd writer Mitchell Beaupre earlier this year, “I like the idea of making mistakes. I like to show that in the movies.” Like all great comedic writer-directors, Brooks has created his own universe in his films — sometimes mistakes are the best. Brooks will appear with guest host Kevin Pollak as part of the Nashville Comedy Festival.
7 p.m. at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
2020 Belmont Blvd.
