Tim Heidecker makes entitled men funny without making them agreeable. We rate the sour comic presence he brings to Us, though his supporting film roles tell us less about him than the programmes he creates.
Fi1m perspective
In Us (2019), Tim Heidecker’s Josh Tyler is an entitled man, and the performance offers little encouragement to like him. We rate Heidecker when that unpleasantness serves the film, as it does in Jordan Peele’s mixture of comedy and fear. We were frightened by Lupita Nyong’o’s two unsettling performances; Heidecker’s sour humour does little to make the company more reassuring. The film’s explanations are less convincing, but that is hardly a complaint to lay at a supporting actor’s feet.
That taste for awkwardness developed in television with Eric Wareheim, from the animated Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–2006) to their live-action sketches. Their surreal, rough-looking comedy makes discomfort part of the joke, which can also make it exhausting company. With Gregg Turkington, Heidecker carried his interest in parody into On Cinema (2012), a film-review series in which he is co-creator and host. These collaborations give a better sense of his work than a list of small film parts.
Rick Alverson’s The Comedy (2012) gave him a dramatic lead as Swanson. His work has room for more grounded performances, even if entitlement and awkwardness remain recognisable habits. Our reservation is that watching an entitled man remain entitled can wear thin, however deliberately uncomfortable the performance. The writing has to give him something further to do, particularly when a brief comic appearance becomes a leading role.
Fantastic Four (2015) is a useful warning against treating his presence as a recommendation. He plays Mr. Richards in Josh Trank’s film, which starts with a serious origin story and then neglects the relationships that might have made it matter. There is promise in the quieter scenes, but too much explanation and poorly assembled action leave it tedious. A supporting actor has limited means of repairing that, and we would not use this film to judge Heidecker’s capabilities.
Nor would we recommend HIM (2025), in which he plays Tom, as an introduction. Marlon Wayans supplies menace, and the football violence has an unpleasant force, but blunt symbolism and confused plotting waste the premise. These smaller appearances need keeping in proportion when considering someone whose work also includes creating and writing television. For a first encounter, we would choose Us; try On Cinema if the awkwardness is what appeals.
Biography
Tim Heidecker is an American comedian, writer, director, actor and musician. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on 3 February 1976, he attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where he met his comedy partner Eric Wareheim. The pair form the duo Tim & Eric and have created several television series together.
As an actor, Heidecker has appeared in films including Bridesmaids (2011), Fantastic Four (2015) as Mr. Richards, Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Us (2019). He has also had roles in television series such as Community (2009) and provided voices for The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers.
