Harmony and Me

Funny, funny, funny . . .

Low-fi movie, that has a "homemade" feel to it . . . but it's FUNNY. And it's edited very well as far as pacing goes.

Want more from this filmmaker.

Why do I have to write ten lines to make a review.

That's really annoying.

I said what I wanted to say.

Good film. Worth watching. Oh my God! I have to write even more to submit this review! That's 3 times now. Maybe now this will be enough text or lines to submit my review.

One more line for good measure. Ugh.

This is a rare independent comedy that is sarcastic but not mean spirited, innocent but not naive, heartfelt but not dramatic...

This is actually a "feel good movie." And I can vouch for that because I've seen it many times and it always makes me happy. I like the main character, I root for him and I love what the story does with him.

By the time the movie ends (briskly, after just 75 minutes) I feel 100% satisfied and want more. It's too bad it's not the pilot episode for a series because I think I'd enjoy spending more time with Harmony, his friends and family.

As a side note, my wife and I often find ourselves singing, "The finishing touches..." That song definitely gets stuck in one's head.

HARMONY AND ME plays like a scrapbook of found scenes; all somewhat centering around our main character trying to get over a breakup. Everything in the film is hilarious, because it's totally true. My friends and I got some pie after the screening, we were talking about how almost worse than going through an actual breakup is when all your friends tell you how you're supposed to get over the breakup. As we were eating, we kept recalling our favorite parts and lines - it's intensely quotable ("She's breaking my heart, she's like a bear with my heart in it's claws") but also so fast paced - most scenes are not even a minute long.

I saw it with quite possibly the best audience - we were all totally laughing the entire time. Come to think of it, many films like this; there's always a part near the end where it gets sentimental or real - this film goes SO FAR the other way. It's one of the funniest and most ridiculous endings I've seen in a feature film. They really went for it - and the crowd I saw it with at least, we were totally into it. And the film is never slow - I doubt it was longer than 90 minutes.

But it's funny; while the film is linear - it really does have this scrapbook feeling to it. In a weird way, the film has the feeling of "Harold and Maude" and "Nashville" but seen thru the lens of more modern indies like "Mutual Appreciation" (but this is just way funnier than that one).

I'm always looking thru my netflix cue to find new indie comedies to rent - I really wish there were more films like this one. Totally up my alley. Totally recommend it.

Takes the "Better Off Dead" breakup aspect and puts a magnifying glass on it, well done. Kristen Tucker shines in every scene she's in.

On first glance, director Bob Byington's award-winning comedy is just another link in a long mumblecore chain. Upon closer inspection, this hilarious and brutally honest film couldn't be further from its supposed bedfellows.

Shot on HD DV hand-held, "Harmony and Me" awakes in the aftermath of the title character's break-up. The shakiness of the aesthetic, combined with the episodic division of the film, brilliantly mirrors the protagonist's emotional instability and fragmentation.

Throughout the first half of the film, Harmony wallows in his victimization and vies for sympathy from friends (Kevin Corrigan), family (Byington), and nemeses (Pat Healy). Eventually, when the pity of others can no longer quell Harmony's need for emotional validation, he turns to the therapy music, which invariably helps him move forward.

Within this theme, Byington finds a poignant honesty and brutal humor which has garnered the film accolades and awards.

Byington is currently gearing up to helm his next film "Seven Chinese Brothers", which stars Patton Oswalt, Tunde Adebimpe (TV On the Radio), and Pat Healy.