Bill Forsyth's COMFORT AND JOY (1984)
We are excited to ring in the new year with master Scottish humanist Bill Forsyth’s warmly lovesick winter comedy, introduced by actor Colin Burgess and filmmaker Alec Moeller.
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Jan 21, 2026, 8:00 PM
2220 Arts + Archives, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057, USA
COMFORT AND JOY
directed by Bill Forsyth
1984, Scotland, 106m, DCP
Selected and introduced by actor Colin Burgess and filmmaker Alec Moeller
doors/bar: 7:30
film: 8:00
We are excited to ring in the new year with master Scottish humanist Bill Forsyth’s warmly lovesick winter comedy. Forsyth’s underseen followup to LOCAL HERO follows Glasgow morning-radio host Alan "Dicky" Bird (Bill Paterson) who comes home on Christmas Eve to learn that his girlfriend (Eleanor David) is leaving him. Stifling his depression, Alan is determined to become a documentary journalist, when he witnesses a raid on an ice-cream truck that brings him into a turf war between two rival Italian dairy vendors. Forsyth’s midlife-crisis comedy is filled with soulful performances and offbeat grace notes, and deserves to be appreciated as another gem in his impeccable 1980s run.
“A glorious Christmas movie as well as a glorious movie in its own right….It's that rarest of beasts, a truly serious comedy.” -The Guardian
“[Forsyth] has made a specialty out of characters who are as real as you and me, and nicer than me… This is a wonderful movie.” -Roger Ebert
Colin Burgess is an actor, comedian, title designer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He has been performing stand-up comedy for the past 12 years and has been featured in various little videos and series for Adult Swim, Comedy Central, IFC, and Vice. Most recently he can be seen in feature films like Asking For It, Inspector Ike,Yelling Fire in an Empty Theater, Dad & Step-Dad, and Free Time. Colin did not write this bio, it was written by some other guy.
Alec Moeller is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles. In 2022 he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Film.