Punching Henry

Henry Phillips is a satirical songwriter whose career has not gone the way he hoped. A well-known television producer, Jay Warren, brings him to Los Angeles with an offer to build a show around his life as an unsuccessful artist. The project draws the attention of a major network, and the situation forces Henry to weigh what he actually wants: to earn a living from his jokes, or to become the target of them. Friends and people around him, including Jillian, become part of his attempt to find his footing in the city.

The film is a comedy directed by Gregori Viens, who wrote the screenplay with Henry Phillips. Phillips plays a version of himself, and J.K. Simmons appears as Jay Warren. The cast also includes Sarah Silverman, Mike Judge, Michaela Watkins and Tig Notaro, among 29 credited performers. It was produced by Rick Rosenthal and Arun Kumar through Permut Presentations, Whitewater Films, Tilted Windmill Productions and Kandoo Films, and runs 98 minutes.

Punching Henry was released in February 2017. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.8 from 957 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.9 from 47 votes. The two audience scores are close to each other, indicating a modest but consistent response from viewers rather than a sharply divided one.