'Brigsby Bear' A Review

Brigsby Bear is a dramedy about a young man who lives in an underground bunker with his parents, the only real outside engagement is an educational children's show Brigsby Bear. The first part of the film establishes James(Kyle Mooney) as an isolated, odd, Brigsby superfan under the impression that there has been some kind of nuclear/pandemic that has forced people underground. While stealing a couple minutes up on the surface in the middle of the night James is confronted by a SWAT team and taken into custody. James has difficulty adjusting to life in the real world and as a way of processing his experiences begins making a Brigsby Bear movie.

Mooney is very good, simple and grounded, empathetic and sincere. Taken in a broader context it is somewhat less impressive given the character is essentially derivative of the numerous nostalgia/AV obsessed characters he's played on SNL. Ryan Simpkins and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as James's sister and friend respectively are very good, seemingly unaffected by his oddness they portray the blossoming of real friendship with authenticity. The cast sports some great names- Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Clarie Danes, Michaela Watkins- who all do well but the film is about, justly, James and his journey so the cast is mostly there to tell his story, which they do well.

The performances are secondary to the story and the story basically boils down to one of imagination and creativity. And because of that a lot of time and attention is taken with the Brigsby Bear show within the film and the recreation of it by James. The production sports retro-nostalgia not in a pandering or ironic way but as an actual aesthetic. VHS and practical effects abound and they look great. The film is more meditative and straightforward than funny but it succeeds, it tells the story of a damaged young man who uses his favorite TV show to deal with the immensity of life.

An inspiring story, innovative throwback production design, if a somewhat predictable(but still effective) emotional arc.

See It.