Man I love this movie.
One of the hardest things for a truly independent filmmaker at a festival is competing with the high-profile titles. I try to balance what I watch when I'm in a festival environment, known and unknown, and sometimes it really pays off. I like taking a chance on something you've never heard of starring no one you know written and directed by a name that's totally unfamiliar to you. And I like when I'm rewarded for it.
John Bryant's "The Overbrook Brothers," from a screenplay co-written by Jason Foxworth, is one of those lovely surprises, a strong, consistent, occasionally ugly comedy about sibling rivalry taken to a punishing extreme, adoption, identity, and maturity. It's of the current school of the uncomfortable, comedy that is about a sort of unbearable reality. Mark Reeb and Nathan Harlan play Todd and Jason, brothers who have been locked in a sort of hyper-exaggerated Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner rivalry that reduces both of them to six-year-olds every time they're together.
This flick would play perfectly with Awful Nice, another recent SXSW comedy about sibling rivalry. Add Darjeeling Limited and you've got yourself a fine triple feature.
Find this movie if you can. It won't disappoint.
