Brigsby Bear

'Brigsby Bear' is a dark story told with a light touch. Though much of the material covered is upsetting, it never does more than dip a toe into these waters. A handful of dark jokes are delivered with an "aww shucks" charm that seems bashful about presenting anything too deep. It's more comfortable frolicking with the amusing awkward humor and writing a love letter to quirky creativity.

Without spoiling anything, the plot is a bit difficult to outline. A young man named James (Kyle Mooney) has lived a life of isolation. He knows very little about social cues, popular culture and virtually all common knowledge. One thing he knows everything about is his favorite show (and the only show he has ever seen), Brigsby Bear.

What James doesn't realize is that the show was made only for him, to teach him lessons and to manipulate him. No one else has ever seen it. When it abruptly ends, James wants to make a movie and give his beloved characters the ending they deserve.

James's adaption into a world unfamiliar to him makes for a messy situation, especially for his family. No one knows how to handle it. They all want what is best for James, but none of them are sure what that is. His family tries to impose their interests onto James instead of taking an interest in what he likes.

His new friends understand him better, or at least, they make a better effort to do so. Through these interactions, we see how special James is and how he doesn't need to change just so he can fit in with everyone else. There's a heartfelt message here about acceptance and pursuing passions, even if not everyone understands them.

At times, the story features extremely dark jokes, pushing boundaries. It takes a tremendously upsetting situation and inserts jokes that create such a paradox that my body physically struggled to laugh. I'm not sure what that means. It seems like an indication that the combination didn't quite work. The joke didn't quite land, and the heavy material is left only partially explored.

The film struggles with nuance in the more challenging moments. It's a little hesitant or reluctant to dig deep and make the circumstances hard on the characters. It softens the edges and makes things too easy and too light and too dumbed down. Certain bits of dialogue spell out too much, as if the filmmakers weren't sure enough of their visual storytelling to leave certain elements unsaid.

The story arcs felt a bit underwritten and unearned. A moment of growth in a character simply happens because it's supposed to-we're not shown sufficient reason for it to occur.

Despite the flaws, this is a charming film. I only point out the imperfections because I see great potential. This could have been a classic. Instead, it's merely a likable and unique comedy that will surely have its supporters (I'm one of them). Perhaps Kyle Mooney's next film will ascend to the level of a classic.

This film tells the story of a young man who grew up with a television show about a bear.

The story quickly unfolds to a surprising path, and it is very engaging and emotional. It is a sweet tale of a young man finding his way in a new world, and the immense support he receives around him. The film could have taken a dark and depressing tone, but instead it keeps a light tone most of the time, with serious scenes inserted at the right intervals. It is a very heart warming story.

Reviewing a film like "Brigsby Bear" is very difficult in the manner by which I review films because it is important to me to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible. That being said, understand that my take here will be at a "10,000-foot level," meaning that I have to tell you as little as possible about the film itself to keep its integrity intact.

Kyle Mooney has written the script (along with Kevin Costello) and plays James Pope, who lives in the desert with Ted (Mark Hamill) and April (Jane Adams). He spends most of his time watching his favorite show, "Brigsby Bear," a children's program that has captured his imagination for his entire life. When the show is cancelled out of nowhere, James decides to take it upon himself to finish Brigsby's story.

This is such a different kind of film that it was refreshing to me. Mooney, who is known in the current "SNL" cast for playing kooky, off- beat kinds of characters, channels those talents here and gives James a fun innocence that a character like this requires as the film progresses. His character's journey to fulfill his dream of closure and completion is well told in a way that hit me where I lived one moment, had me laughing out loud the next, and rooting for him in the moment after that. There is a great supporting cast here as well, but to talk too much about them will give away too much of the heart of this film.

It truly is important to go into "Brigsby Bear" as cold as you possibly can, avoiding any Internet spoilers in any way, shape, or form in order to truly enjoy its story as a whole. Once you see it and enjoy it, also do everyone else a favor and let them experience it in the same spoiler-free manner that hopefully you did as well.

"Brigsby Bear" is one of the more original movies I've ever seen....and for that reason alone, it's well worth watching. However, I also should point out that some of the plot and characters don't make a lot of sense...as if the story could have used a slight re-write before they began filming.

The story begins in a nice home with two parents and their grown son, James (Kyle Mooney). However, you also realize that they are locked into some sort of shelter-like home and soon the FBI barge in and arrest the parents. You then learn that they are NOT James' parents but folks who kidnapped him as a baby. To prevent him leaving, they created a strange bunker world and convinced him that the outside world was filled with poisonout gas! They also made their own music and TV show just for James...and James loves the over 700 episodes of "Brigsby Bear" they made him!

So why do I have mixed feelings about this movie? Well, because it made little sense AFTER the man was rescued and brought to his biological family. They only went to family counseling sometime AFTER this reunion...and, not surprisingly, the reunion did not go well. You would think there would have been TONS of counseling and education done with James and his new family to make the transition work well....but he was just tossed in and folks acted surprised when things didn't go well. Additionally, a few of the characters made little sense...such as the police detective (Greg Kinnear) or the biological father.

Now my complaints, though valid, do NOT negate all the good in the film. Mooney is wonderful as James, the film kept me guessing and after a rough transition, things DO get better...so just hold on and enjoy the ride. Well worth seeing, though the film could have been brilliant. As is, it's just very good but flawed.

The initial releases - theater and home combined - grossed about $700,000 worldwide. The producers aren't telling what the budget was. Who knows if the revenue covered the production cost. But it sure didn't come close to the $5 million Sony pitched in to distribute it. Maybe they're hoping that over time it'll become a cult classic online.

I hope so too. The film deserves success. It's a spirited paean of praise to the transformative power of art and imagination. Of course the "plausibles," as Hitchcock called them, don't warm up to it. But for those willing to be carried along by a vibrant and positive vision, told with a quiet sense of humor, Brigsby Bear hits all the right notes.