The Incoherents

Greetings again from the darkness. If you have yet to experience a mid-life crisis, it only means you haven't lived long enough. Of course, this 'crisis' often has little to do with age, and can seep into your marrow at any time ... even when you think your life is plodding along just fine. These little thoughts or doubts or ideas start creeping in, and soon the only thing on your mind is a sports car, a younger partner, traveling the world, writing a novel, changing careers, or yes, starting a rock band.

Meet Bruce. He's working a dead-end job as a 40-something year old paralegal. He's married to the lovely Liz and they have two children and a fine house. Bruce's boss takes advantage of his lack of ambition by assigning menial tasks and requiring overtime. When a burned-out Bruce arrives home in the evening, he sees the 'To-do' list his wife has posted on the fridge, and he guzzles a beer before heading down to the basement to play music and write songs. It's his escape from life, but also his tie to younger years when he and his buddies had a legitimate band named The Incoherents.

Jeff Auer stars as Bruce, and he also wrote the screenplay. When his wife Liz (Kate Arrington) green-lights his dream of getting the band back together, Bruce contacts the Hamilton brothers, drummer Tyler (Ben Foster lookalike Casey Clark) and bass player Keith (Walter Hoffman), and they all meet up at the pub owned by their former lead guitarist Jimmy (Alex Emanuel, also the film's Music Director and a Producer). The long-standing riff between Jimmy and Bruce dates back to the band's initial run, but soon the chill warms and the band is rehearsing at Annette O'Toole's studio. She calls them a "lost cause."

The (middle-aged) boys enjoy playing gigs, but can't seem to draw a crowd thanks to their utter ignorance of marketing or social media. Enter Jules (Vincent Lamberti), an agent of by-gone years who is blunt in his assessments, even if he seems to bring little else to the band. While all of this is happening, Liz is pushing to open her own long-wanted graphic design business. The idea of both spouses pursuing their dreams is quite intriguing, but the film misses a huge opportunity by focusing almost entirely on Bruce and the band. Liz is left with the scraps of a few reaction scenes (a waste of Ms. Arrington's talent).

This is director Jared Barel's first feature film, and it's likely many of the missteps will be avoided in future projects. Bruce is front and center for most of the run time, but there are other characters who seem to be much more interesting - though most of their backstories are simple teases. On the bright side, the dream of being a rock star is the dream of many, as is recapturing the vitality of a youth long passed. So the relatability factor is present.

Bruce and Liz have 2 kids, which are treated mostly as after thoughts that only come in to play when both parents have something they want to do on the same weekend. Somehow the $80 for a babysitter becomes an obstacle that can't be overcome ... this despite the band's numerous $30 per rehearsal hour in the studio and Liz's plane trip to attend her sister's book signing and put together a business plan. Very little of the real world stuff makes sense, which leaves the band part feeling a bit superfluous and hokey. Amy Carlson ("Blue Bloods") has an awkward scene as a super-promoter, and we do get see Fiona Silver perform. There are some good ideas here, but it feels like the filmmakers were a bit too close to the project for it to ever really click.

The Incoherents is an AMAZING indie rock and roll flick set in New York City. Bruce (Played by the ruggedly handsome Jeff Auer) is a bored paralegal living with his wife Liz (The luminous Kate Arrington) and their two kids in the 'burbs. Bruce is facing a sort of mid-life crisis and he seeks comfort, as he always seemingly has, by picking up his guitar and attempting to play those troubles away. Once upon a time, Bruce was in a band called, you guessed it, The Incoherents. Back in the 90's it looked like they might blow up big, but it didn't happen. Instead they just sort of fell apart. It's always been Bruce's dream to GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER! Bruce decided enough is enough, and goes about recruiting the old gang. Getting the rhythm section back together proves easy enough: Drummer Tyler Hamilton (Played the edgy Casey Clark) and bassist Keith Hamilton (The understated Walter Hoffman) are on board, as they figure some diversion from their own day to day drudgery (Tyler's a wedding drummer, Keith is an urban planner of some sort) is probably good for their sanity. The toughest nut to crack is the lead guitarist, Jimmy (Played by an intense Alex Emanuel): Jimmy is still angry about the way stuff went down with Bruce back in the day, and he holds some serious grudges. Jimmy is attempting to run the type of bar you saw in NYC all the time 20 years ago: Cheap drinks, good tunes, and loads of regulars giving the place a real cool "lived in" vibe. As most folks who either live in, or have visited NYC recently, those places are a dying breed, and Jimmy is struggling to get by. It's not giving away any spoilers when I say Jimmy eventually agrees to reunite the band. At first a lot of the old friction is rearing its ugly head at a few early gigs/rehearsals, but then a savior arrives in the form of The Jules (Played by the hysterical Vincent Lamberti). The Jules is a down on his luck manager, and he takes The Incoherents on as a sort of reclamation project for all of them. While the band starts to gel, Bruce and Liz are having problems at home. Bruce is not a kid anymore: He's neglecting Liz and he's letting a lot of obligations slide. She's not happy at all, and the marriage is on the rocks. This is a classic story of trying to balance passion and the mundane. How does one do that as an adult? It's a question that this film tackles beautifully. Jeff Auer wrote the touching/funny screenplay, and deserves a ton of the credit. The actors on the whole are amazing. The fabulous Annette O'Toole steals all her scenes as a very old school rehearsal space owner. Margaret Anne Florence is beyond charming as a music blogger who tries to drum up interest in the band, and Amy Carlson is fantastic as the music executive who may or may not give the Incoherents the big break they are praying for. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the MUSIC in a film about indie rock: It's fabulous. The compositions were done by Alex Emanuel, who played Jimmy so beautifully in the film. Last, but certainly not least, we have to mention the director of the film, Jared Barel: The Incoherents, all of its moving parts, and multiple locations, never loses momentum at all. In fact the film progresses through to its ultimate story arc rather seamlessly. Barel does an amazing job. The film looks and sounds great. The acting is terrific. And the story is quite moving. What else could you want? I can't recommend this film highly enough!!

Loved everything about. The story, the cast, the message. Never give up on your dreams. Great film. I really enjoyed it.

Anyone who is 1) over the age of 40 and 2) ever played in a band can relate to this film. Middle age approaches quicker than Malmsteen sweep picking, and one is left wondering what happened to all the hopes and dreams.

The truth is, the hopes and dreams never left, only the time to pursue them. That is what we find in this film. The crap rehearsal spaces, the in fights, creative control arguments will be all to familiar and play as a sort of "our band never made it big" kind of Spinal Tap that any musician can relate to, like looking through an old book of photographs. Alex Emanuel (Jimmy), does a fine job as what I consider the heart and soul of the band and wrote some pretty ass kicking music for the film as well.

Unlike many indie films shot in NYC, this one doesn't fall into the cliche of try to score cheap credibility by using every "hip" place the neighborhood has to offer. The film concentrates on the story rather than try to be a post card or love letter to the Big Apple. One does not feel that this is the story of a New York band, it could be any band of middle age people in any city in America trying to give their dreams one last shot.

I am not usually the kind of person to watch a rock-n-roll movie but this one really spoke to me. As someone who was not satisfied with the suburban life and the idea of 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, the overall message of never giving up on your dreams and your friendships and giving life your all, was exactly the kind of soul balm I needed in a feel-good film. Definitely recommend.