Billy Crystal Plays to His Base in 860

If Crystal and Ellis had stayed on that tack — tales about the house at 860 bound together by a sense of its loss — 860 might have the sturdiness of a tearjerker. Crystal’s inspirational messaging may not be profound — he makes much of discovering a rock with the word “laughter” on it in the ashes — but it has force. Still, he’s a little afraid to alienate an audience and face the brunt of this grief head on. Who can blame him? There are more fun things to talk about, like the beginnings of his career as a stand-up, his friendship with Muhammad Ali, making When Harry Met Sally…, how he got lucky with the Vietnam draft, and, and, and…