The Incoherents

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.

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 didn't know what to expect when I sat down to see the film, but I left feeling hopeful and wanting to "pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday" to quote The Who. Great story, perfect cast (I especially liked the roles of "Jimmy", played by Alex Emanuel, "Tyler", played by Casey Clark, "The Jules", played by Vincent Lamberti, and "Liz", played by Kate Arrington). Emanuel's performance was subtle and cool, Clark was dry and hilarious, Lamberti a charming rogue and Arrington was so complete, she's a heluvan actress. The music by the band struck me as well. I love music form that period (the 90s) and these songs brought me back. They didn't sound just like anything but reminded me of The Replacements, Pavement, Sonic Youth, The Afghan Wigs and other acts from that era. Kudos to the song writing team of Emanuel and Jeff Auer (the film's talented writer and lead actor). Kudos also to the director Jared Barel for crafting the script to make this low-budget indie look and sound so damn good! If you like indie rock and are looking for a feel good film about real underdog types, definitely check out The Incoherents! This film should be a tv show, for real, I'd follow these characters season after season and would love to hear more music by the band!.

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!!

The awesome blend of bromance, nostalgia, and groovy live performances is an awesome combo and enjoyable watch. The film truly lives up to his tagline 'never too late for a comeback' -- movtivational and inpsiration for all of us stuck in a bit of a rut and looking to redefine our own fate!! Rock ON