Harry + Max

a friend of mine, after having been asked whether he liked Almodovar, replied that if it was in his power he would have all kinds of cinema, theater, critic, film, movie magazine associations, companies and circles constantly award him, week after week for years on end, so that would prevent him from making another film, ever.

I can't say I share completely my friend's devastating sarcasm concerning Almodovar, but that is an eye-opening method I would like to employ in some occasions - and here, being somewhat exasperated by this muddled little piece of film, I would like to employ it for TLA's constant it seems effort on producing and offering us a queer sense of valid film-making.

I would certainly award them again and again and again and again and yet again for what they bring to queer cinema.

Yet another overrated Sundance feature. Sure, it may've been controversial (the attempts to shock audiences seems to be the trend of many Sundance competitors), but it was still boring as hell. Two brothers, Harry and Max, spend most of this film trying to figure out what each means to the other and doing so without sparing us of much of the self-indulgence and pretension that many Sundance filmmakers are seem to like to create in abundance.

Harry is a former "boy band" performer, his success having all but entirely quelled. He serves as a sort of mentor to his younger brother Max, an up-and-coming "boy band" performer. Protective of his curious young brother, Harry spends most of the first half of the film advising Max about the realities of a not-so-fabulous future of fame, whether it be short-lived or not. Harry knows it's a joke, repeatedly testifying that he was only doing what he had to in order to make money, and knows that Max, who admits he can't even sing, may do the same. In the meantime, the parents are either entirely absent or simply at conflict with the boys (mom plays the typical "boy band mother" role as Max's manager).

Aside from all this brotherly advice, there is the more unusual (and some may say repulsive) incestuous relationship between the two brothers. Max is gay. And, Harry seems...unsure?...at first. And the two always seem to be on emotionally divergent paths, even though Harry think he knows what Max wants, and Max is sort of turned off by a sort of insincerity he may think that Harry exhibits. Whatever. Despite the whole thing being a little too freakish for my tastes, I will say that the amount of time spent on all this going back and forth and trying to "understand" one another not only makes an awkward plot, but at times quite a boring one.

If you've been disappointed with much of the recent Sundance fare before, you're advised to skip this one, especially if you're uneasy with the relationship between Max and Harry because that's the entirety of the plot.

So this movie is about two brothers who are in love? I gave it a low rating because it's just poor writing and boring. The blandness in the character is just amazing. Could have been a 10 min short on youtube and still containing all the content. I seriously think whoever wrote the script lives in their own imaginary world of "I can do whatever want and people will respond to whatever I think they should respond." In a land where no one have emotions and everything doesn't really happen.

:/ truly tragic, nothing worth anything about this film. It's just really boring and bland and just the entire time i was just bored. I would not recommend this film unless you want to fall asleep.

I couldn't believe this film when I saw it. I was so shocked and entertained at the same time. At first I couldn't believe it was really a story about incest but then I got what the film was doing and I couldn't stop watching. Totally inventive and fresh.

And, yes it really p***ed folks off. Keep in mind the subject matter is very controversial and will make you think long after you walk out of the theater (Thank God!).

The film is due out 2005 with a theatrical release (if you live in big cities, if you don't then you should move) and will be followed with a DVD/home video run. I can't wait to see how this film affects audiences.

Chris' work has always been gorgeous and thoughtful and amazingly produced. This is probably his best work to date.

This film is about the ambiguous relationship of two brothers who are both pop stars.

My impression of this very low budget movie is that it is trying to explore a taboo area, but it does not quite succeed. First, the film focuses too much on just Harry and Max. It looks as if the whole film has only two actors (possibly because of the low budget). The plot could have been great, but it is not so well written and not developed enough. I think they could have spent more time developing the plot, and expanded on details. Harry is good is his role, but Max is a little wooden. After watching this film, I feel that there are pieces of the film missing, and I do not feel satisfied.

This film is like the other Cole Williams film "Race You To The Bottom", in the sense that they are low budget films involving controversial relationships between two lead characters. I can safely say that "Harry And Max" is the better one of the two though.