Brigsby Bear (2017)

Perfect cast and a good story

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Finding positive energy from negative in a chaotic world .great family movie one of the best films I think I've ever probably seen

'Brigsby Bear' is a dark story told with a light touch. Though much of the material covered is upsetting, it never does more than dip a toe into these waters. A handful of dark jokes are delivered with an "aww shucks" charm that seems bashful about presenting anything too deep. It's more comfortable frolicking with the amusing awkward humor and writing a love letter to quirky creativity. Without spoiling anything, the plot is a bit difficult to outline. A young man named James (Kyle Mooney) has lived a life of isolation. He knows very little about social cues, popular culture and virtually all common knowledge. One thing he knows everything about is his favorite show (and the only show he has ever seen), Brigsby Bear. What James doesn't realize is that the show was made only for him, to teach him lessons and to manipulate him. No one else has ever seen it. When it abruptly ends, James wants to make a movie and give his beloved characters the ending they deserve.James's adaption into a world unfamiliar to him makes for a messy situation, especially for his family. No one knows how to handle it. They all want what is best for James, but none of them are sure what that is. His family tries to impose their interests onto James instead of taking an interest in what he likes. His new friends understand him better, or at least, they make a better effort to do so. Through these interactions, we see how special James is and how he doesn't need to change just so he can fit in with everyone else. There's a heartfelt message here about acceptance and pursuing passions, even if not everyone understands them.At times, the story features extremely dark jokes, pushing boundaries. It takes a tremendously upsetting situation and inserts jokes that create such a paradox that my body physically struggled to laugh. I'm not sure what that means. It seems like an indication that the combination didn't quite work. The joke didn't quite land, and the heavy material is left only partially explored. The film struggles with nuance in the more challenging moments. It's a little hesitant or reluctant to dig deep and make the circumstances hard on the characters. It softens the edges and makes things too easy and too light and too dumbed down. Certain bits of dialogue spell out too much, as if the filmmakers weren't sure enough of their visual storytelling to leave certain elements unsaid.The story arcs felt a bit underwritten and unearned. A moment of growth in a character simply happens because it's supposed to-we're not shown sufficient reason for it to occur. Despite the flaws, this is a charming film. I only point out the imperfections because I see great potential. This could have been a classic. Instead, it's merely a likable and unique comedy that will surely have its supporters (I'm one of them). Perhaps Kyle Mooney's next film will ascend to the level of a classic.

The movie was the perfect length. I think one of its greatest qualities was that not a single scene was wasted. Everything we saw was relevant, and no longer than it needed to be. I don't want to sound cynical, but I feel like that's an increasingly prominent problem in film.Story-wise, this movie covers everything. The Creative Process is the most prominent storyline, but it also touches on autism, the struggle to connect with your own children, and of course, kidnapping victims returning to society. All of these things are compact and unobtrusive, so you don't even really need to think about them in order to still enjoy the movie. It's a feel-good movie at heart, so it doesn't require analysis to enjoy, but the potential is definitely there. Great to watch with family, or maybe with friends if you're working on your own creative project. I have to say, Mark Hamill plays a better father in this movie than he does a Luke Skywalker in the recent Star Wars films. I just love how it's vaguely mentioned how James was kidnapped for 25 years, but no one really explains how it happened. Little things that are left unsaid really make this movie shine. I would only warn that there are few "jokes" in this movie. It's comedy because of the context, not cause characters spout stand-up in between scenes. Brigsby is funny as a concept, and that's all it needs to be. Lastly, if I could change one thing about this film, I'd make the final film a little more "real." James's final movie just looks too poor for me to believe that so many people would watch it. However, that doesn't detract from the positive message presented at the end.

Cult films usually have an edge, one of weirdness or danger, maybe both. Rarely do they feel like they foster a hope in mankind, sure the Dude Abides, but Brigsby flourishes.I strongly agree with statements here saying the less you know the better, so I'll mark this review as a spoiler and hope folks stumbling across my profile here, just see this based on the rating. My twin teens and myself knew very little about this. In fact I watched about 15 minutes of it alone when my instincts were telling me to trust the film and have the boys join me in watching it.I'm glad they did, and they are as well (rare are the movies where neither one says, "how long have we been watching" which happens even on films they claim to love). But they were committed to this one, and my guess is most teens feel to some degree as estranged as Kyle Mooney's character does in this. Although that character James' story is beyond ludicrous, somehow the filmmakers manage to elicit authentic feelings and resonance from it.And it does with sex, drugs and some "dope as sh*t" mocking. But don't get hung up on that, focus instead on the family bonds. The old cliché of "Who are you and where did my son go" gets turned on its ear. Ultimately the message of creativity as a saving grace or guiding force, is good to hear at any age.My comment to my boys was be the Spencer to someone's James. That character was noble. In Mooney, I see a comic who is both fine with self-denigrating humor that he stays buoyant through and thus winds up as self-affirming. He's done that often in his SNL skits, and this is a promising step out of that box.