The King of Marvin Gardens

Plot-- After years of separation, two mature brothers try to bond even though one habitually dreams in reckless fashion, while the other, who is darkly repressed, is drawn into the latest fanciful scheme. At the same time, two obstreperous women fit in somehow with the dreamer.

Maybe you can get interested in this tepid character drama. About half-way, I got tired of David's (Nicholson) somber dead-pan and almost tuned out. His existentially confused character may be the least engaging screen presence I've come across since test pattern. I guess brother Jason's (Dern) witless ebullience is supposed to compensate. Sort of like Mr. Glum and Mr. Guffaw balancing out. But they don't. Maybe there's hidden gold buried in the murky storyline, like dreams versus reality and how they slip slide into each other. But I don't really care to plod along in search.

Too bad these two fine actors are stuck in what amounts to caricature. As I recall, the movie got a lot of hoopla upon release, probably because of Nicholson's zooming star. Now, I'm not against intellectualized movies, which this one may be. But a play of profound ideas does not easily combine into a play of engaging events, as I think this overrated disappointment shows. Too bad.