Folk Hero & Funny Guy

I came upon this movie quite by accident and a happy accident it was. Although it has all the elements of a run-of-the-mill "on the road" story about down-on-their-luck characters searching for themselves, there is a lot more to this movie, especially given that it's a first one for writer/director Jeff Grace.

As with all such "on the road" genre pieces, this movie is all about the journey, and not the destination - alas, it would have been nice for the director to have worked out the destination with the same subtle ingenuity as he did the journey. Still, it does have hilariously funny bits, especially if one is a fan of Alex Karpovsky's comedic niche (who himself has a couple of indie comedies under his belt). The oddly put together scenes do somehow work; packed with embarassing and socially awkward yet endearing situations, they make the viewer feel genuinely connected to the characters. The individual struggles of the characters are very relatable (especially for the 'Gen X' crowd) and well thought through: the impossible to settle down and commit rock star; the former coat-check girl with a flair for country rock, dealing with her own insecurities; the struggling stand-up comedian set on pursuing his dream while still working on the right way to approach and impress the ladies - the department his friend "folk hero" has no problem in. In spite of all this, "funny guy" still manages to be the unassuming hero of the story. But, will he get the girl in the end?

Paul Scott (Alex Karpovsky) and Jason Black (Wyatt Russell) are best of friends since childhood. Paul is a struggling standup comedian. Jason is a rising music star. Jason brings Paul on as the opening act to his tour of smaller clubs. Along the way, they meet singer Bryn Miller (Meredith Hagner). Paul likes her. Jason invites her on the tour and hooks up with her.

The biggest question for this movie is how to make something unfunny funny. Paul's standup is blandly unfunny. The movie needs to make it cinematically funny. That's a big flaw. Also Heather Morris' scene needs to be much funnier. Ok! Done! The best aspect is the relationships. This is a good trio of actors. They all fit their roles. Wyatt Russell is perfect for his. They are compelling characters. I like their resolutions. It's a good relationship movie between two male friends. Melanie Lynskey also has a good scene.

Comedy is generally not my go-to genre for film. So established, after a run of flicks ranging from downer to downright demoralizing, I thought it high time for something a bit on the lighter side of celluloid offerings. That's when it struck me that the new indy and largely Kickstarter-funded road-tripping buddy dramedy "Folk Hero & Funny Guy" may be just what I needed. I don't if I needed it exactly, but it did fill the bill in terms of worthwhile, engaging and ultimately quite amusing fare.

Wyatt Russell is Jason Black, a take it as it comes popular folk singer and serial one-night stander who looks like he strolled in straight out of 1969. And I mean that in the strictly coolest sense. Russell can actually play and sing. Together with aspiring singer/songwriter Bryn (the breathtakingly adorable Meredith Hagner in a thoroughly appealing and natural turn) this talented pair generate genuinely impressive solo and duo performances, both acoustic and electrified, throughout "Folk Hero & Funny Guy".

Alex Karpovsky (HBO's "Girls") is the third component of this makeshift three-ring traveling circus of entertainment as a struggling stand-up comedian who is looking to revive a crashing career. His character of Paul eventually emerges as the unlikely inspiration for his two partners to change their lives for the better.

Writer/Director Jeff Grace does a fine job of keeping it loose and low-key through most of his movie. Still, a cluster of these character's lines as well as some of the scenes come off as forced and contrived here. And one would imagine that after the first several occasions of Paul meeting with nothing but coughs and crickets during a lame and out-of-touch bit about "Evites" he would STOP DOIN' the bit for crissakes. But these interludes of awkwardness and less than authentic affectations are few in number, and Grace capably keeps both the momentum and the music cranking for well more than the balance of the story.

As "Folk Hero & Funny Guy" comes to conclusion, this is the takeaway that left me saying softly to myself, "Aww. That's sweet."

The notion that a self-professed "dick" can actually wind up being a pretty damn decent dude after all.

Jason (russell) is a successful small-time singer, with paying gigs and a fan base. His buddy paul ( karpovsky) is a struggling standup. So jason takes paul along out on the road as his warm-up act. Paul is just starting out, and has issues with confidence. And reading the room. And doesn't really have a strong routine worked out. He keeps depending on one stupid joke that isn't funny. Of course, they fight over a girl. Several girls. The shenanigans of going on a road tour. Small roles for melanie lynskey (rose, from two and a half men!) and michael ian black. While jason's career is on the upswing, he hasn't gotten his personal life ironed out. It turns out he and paul both have parts of their life that they haven't figured out yet. Turns into a drama. Interesting possible connections: vinny chhibber and mike manning have small roles in the film, and one of the production companies listed here is chhibber mann productions. And... wyatt russell talks about leslie mann on his imdb page. Film written and directed by jeff grace. His one directing gig so far. It's good.