The Brothers

This was such a funny movie. I thought Pete and Lanny were great. The music made it upbeat and energetic. My favorite part was when they were driving in the "ghetto" car and posing during the credits. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh! Two thumbs up from me!

I saw this short (I understand it's being made into a bigger budget feature already) at the Arizona International Film Festival, where it was one of the top finalists in competition. I come to find out later that "The Brothers" was in the midst of a big, national festival tour--picking up awards left and right. I sure am glad it stopped into our neck of the woods. Now, I'm not a big fan of film festival shorts--especially comedies, because they usually rely on lowbrow, slapstick humor for their gags. But right from the start, "The Brothers" took on a much more subtle, intelligent, and satirical tone in its writing and directing style. With that stated, the audience (myself included) was laughing so hard within the first five minutes that it was tough to catch all the details. I'd love to see it again, because it's definitely one of those films that you can watch several times and pick up nuances and details underneath the surface that will make the film even more enjoyable each time around the block. My wife and I talked about it for weeks afterwards. I don't ever remember witnessing that kind of reaction in a theater setting--nonstop laughter, random applause. The crowd was so completely into the film; it was quite a phenomenon. I think there was even a standing ovation at the end of the film. Everybody was talking about "The Brothers" after the screening. I don't want to give away too many details about the plot, but writer/director (Figg) takes a very honest and original look at white kids trying to grow up and find their identities in a homogenous suburban America. I'd put the style of the film in the same ballpark as a Coen brothers comedy like "Raising Arizona" or a Wes Anderson film like "Rushmore." I was thrilled to read that Figg just finished filming a full-blown feature version of "The Brothers," starring one of the guys from NSYNC, some NBA and professional baseball players, and some other pretty big names. I'm not surprised he got the support and cash needed to make this film again for a wide theatrical release. I can't wait to see what these guys have done with "The Brothers" this time around. I'm sure the feature will be a huge success. If Figg can make that good of a film for just a few grand, I can only imagine what this kid can do with some serious production dollars. Keep your eye out for "The Brothers" when it hits theaters sometime in 2001. I'll be the annoying guy in the back of the theater saying, "Hey, I saw this film a few years back when it was just a little, baby short!"

I saw this move several years ago at the Central Florida Film Festival if I recall. I liked it, it showed great potential. I guess most people here are blasting this film because the film did seem hobbled together (by the filmmaker's own admission on the official site -- the short was exhibited as a "rough-cut").

But nonetheless, it was an easy-going comedy. I think many people try to read far too much into a comedy. All they are supposed to do is make you laugh -- that's all. I did just that at its showing, so it succeeded on that level. Just my 2 Cents Anyway.

i can't figure out who greenlighted this thing! it has no redeeming qualities, none, nada, zip, zilch.

the acting was bad. the directing was bad. the writing was bad. the plot was bad. the music was bad. the editing was bad. ....well, at least the filmmakers were consistent.

This film is just a shame. Orlando, Florida seems to becoming a more recognized filmmaking area (like Vancouver's rise to prominance). The Brothers was shot in Central Florida and this short film is a bit of a setback for the area (which made great strides with the Indie film Walking Across Africa and the great HBO miniseries From Earth To The Moon).

I will try to be as honest as possible. I think Orlando was the perfect place to film The Brothers. It had the potential to give a new spin on the 'Boy Band' craze. After all, both N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys come from this area. But, The Brothers falls short probably because of a weak script. Both lead characters are flat with almost no development (part of this could be the amatuer actors, but some of it is certainly the way the script was written).

Also a problem is the choice of jokes. Many of the jokes are too repetitive (they do come off funny the first time, but it does grow to be a bit boring). Some of the 'concert' scenes are staged poorly (and many of these scenes also don't seem to move the story along in any way).

I had high hopes for this one, but alas its a disappointing effort. I also hope the best for the upcoming feature based on this short. But I think the best thing for filmmaker John Figg is to move to different genres (quickly). Comedy isn't his strong suit. But, its indisputable that he definitely is one of the more prominant filmmakers in the Orlando area (its just a shame that right now he's infamous, not famous).