Shakes the Clown is a 1991 American black comedy film, written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, who performs the title role.

It also features Julie Brown, Blake Clark, Paul Dooley, Kathy Griffin, Florence Henderson, Tom Kenny, Adam Sandler, Scott Herriott, LaWanda Page, Jack Gallagher, and a cameo by Robin Williams as Mime Jerry using the pseudonym "Marty Fromage".

Shakes falls deeper into his depression when he learns that he has been passed over for the position in favor of Binky, a cocaine-addicted clown who is a neurotic and vindictive sexual predator and psychopath.

However, Shakes suffers a relapse at a birthday party and trashes the house in a drunken rampage until he is knocked out by the child's mother.

Cheese is angered that they would be selling and doing drugs in his bar, and a panicked Binky beats him to death with Shakes' juggling club in a fit of rage.

Binky knows that he cannot let Judy leave with this information, so he kidnaps her and takes her to the studio where he attempts to kill her live on the air with throwing knives to make it look like an accident.

Some time passes, and Shakes is shown attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, sharing with the others that he is still sober and is proud of his accomplishment.

[5] Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, writing that while some isolated scenes were "very funny" the plot was scattered and the performances often seemed under-rehearsed.

[6] The film has a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews, with the consensus; "Shakes the Clown has a handful of memorable moments, but they're scattered in a movie whose best ideas were left undeveloped on their way to the screen.