Hellmant Review of Brigsby Bear

Brigsby Bear (2017)

I was of course never abducted at birth, or held in captivity, but I have felt alienated by the rest of society at times.

[9/10 · 23 August 2017]

'BRIGSBY BEAR': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) A comedy-drama about a young man who's spent his entire life living in an underground home with his parents, and his only understanding of the outside world is through an educational kids' TV show called 'Brigsby Bear'. Then he learns that the show is fake, and he was kidnapped from his real parents. This becomes an extremely hard new reality for the young man to accept. The movie stars Kyle Mooney (of 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' fame), Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Ryan Simpkins, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Claire Danes, Jane Adams and Andy Samberg (who also served as a producer). It was directed by Dave McCary (a veteran 'SNL' writer and director) and it was written by Mooney and Kevin Costello (both first time feature screenwriters). The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in theaters. I really enjoyed it. James Pope (Mooney) has spent his whole life living in an underground home with a couple, Ted (Hamill) and April Mitchum (Adams), that he believes are his parents. He's told the air outside is poisonous, and he's never allowed to leave the home without a gas mask (or travel very far from it). James's entire understanding of the outside world is taught to him through an educational kids' show called 'Brigsby Bear'. Then one day police raid their home, and James learns that he was abducted, at birth, from his real parents (Walsh and Watkins). He also learns that 'Brigsby Bear' is a fake TV show, that was created by Ted Mitchum. James has a very hard time accepting this information, and learning to adapt to his new life living with his real family. So he tries to adjust to this new reality by creating his own film version of 'Brigsby Bear', continuing the story created by Ted with his new family and friends. Being an outsider, and a huge film lover (that strongly believes in the magic of movies), I really enjoyed and respect this film. I was of course never abducted at birth, or held in captivity, but I have felt alienated by the rest of society at times (for a couple of different reasons), and I could really relate to James in this movie. I especially could relate to his passion for film, and filmmaking, and his understanding of it's power to deliver empathy to others. So I very strongly agree with the message of this movie, and I could really empathize with the lead character in it. It's also a pretty well acted and directed film too. It's maybe not quite as classic as some even better films, with similar messages, but it is a really good and well made movie.