Brigsby Bear (2017)

I'm not usually compelled to write reviews on films, in fact this is my first on IMDb, but if I can stop someone wasting 2 hours on this film like I just did it will be worth it.That's not to say this film isn't worth watching, if you're looking for an Indie, semi-heartwarming tale about a man-child adapting to life in the real world then go ahead.However if you're looking for a comedy, i.e something designed to make you laugh, look elsewhere.No element of this film is funny, unless you find humour in a recluse over-reacting to having his old lad touched by a girl for the first time.If this had been described as an Indie drama I'd have given it 5-6, but as a comedy I think I've been generous with a 3.

'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.

Very rare for a movie to capture that moment WE all had growing up. Whether it was BRIGSBY bear or MONKEY magic. The moment only true innocence can phantom. Great movie, well shot, well timed. Our HEROS are real

I just watched a movie that could have been really stupid. Really silly. Really mindless. And done as an offbeat dramedy is typically tossed out to us from Hollyweirdworld, it surely would have been. But the bunch behind "Brigsby Bear" clearly determined early on that this is what most would be expecting. And they cried a collective, "HELL NO!". The result of such scarce solidarity among the measure of movie making magicians has resulted in a funny, freaky and ultimately touching story. "Brigsby Bear" succeeds in bringing to bear the likes of that which is seldom concocted, nor bankrolled, in the biz of busting the beatific box office. Fabulously fresh faire fully worthy of our focus. As I am not a patron of "Saturday Night Live" I was wholly unfamiliar with "Brigsby Bear" star and co-writer Kyle Mooney. This is an interesting looking, and behaving, guy who put me in the mind of a kind of curious cross of affectation and physical resemblance among Dana Carvey, Steven Wright, Joel Coen and REM bassist Mike Mills. Damn, is that quite the broad-based brotherhood if ever there was one. And while on the subject of eclectic, let's talk about this spectacularly cool cast. It is not just any flick that combines the wildly diverse entertainment resumes of Greg Kinnear, Mark Hamill, Jane Adams, Claire Danes and Andy Samberg (who also Co-Produces here).So what is "Brigsby Bear" about you're no doubt asking? On face, it's about a "well meaning" survivalist couple abducting a baby, who decades later is returned to his birth family as a grown manchild, obsessed with a kid's TV show of which he was an audience of one. But what this quirky and affecting saga is really ABOUT is the definition of family, and the many forms and incarnations defined therein. The overarching message is this-that support, encouragement, understanding and love are not necessarily the stuff of rigidity and tradition. Rather, it is a common bond among souls. Souls that matter to others more than anything in the world. And in the strange case of "Brigsby Bear", it makes little difference whether that connection is forged in "real life" or from the limitless life of the human spirit. After all, isn't this the eternal truth to which each and every one of us bear witness?