Here Today (2021)

Here Today feels special because it uses comedy the way the best comedians do: not to dodge pain, but to walk straight through it with a steady hand and a soft heart. Billy Crystal brings lived-in authenticity to a showbiz world he clearly knows, while Tiffany Haddish meets him with a surprising tenderness and spark, and together they create a friendship that’s funny in the moment and quietly devastating in the aftertaste. The tone is warm, humane, and intimate—more of a gently funny tearjerker than a big laugh machine—built on performances that let small gestures carry enormous weight. It won’t be for viewers who want a fast, joke-dense comedy, but if you’re open to a film that earns its emotions honestly, it’s the kind of story that lingers like a favorite song you didn’t know you needed.

Here Today is clearly trying to be a warm, old-school crowd-pleaser about an unlikely friendship and the scary reality of memory loss, with Billy Crystal aiming for laughs that gently slide into tears. The problem is it often leans so hard into sweetness that it can feel calculated, and the tone wobbles between sitcom bits and heavy drama in a way that blunts both. If you’re hoping for a consistently sharp comedy or a more subtle, realistic take on dementia, this may come off as mushy and occasionally manipulative. That said, Crystal brings sincerity, Tiffany Haddish has an easy charm, and when the film stops pushing for the big emotional beats, it does land a few quietly affecting moments.