The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best (Ryan O’Nan, 2011): USA

Reviewed by Luke Catena, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2012

Writer, director, and star, Ryan O’Nan plays the part of Alex, a melancholy musician who just can’t really do anything right, in The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best. Having broken up with his girlfriend, getting kicked out of his band, losing his job, and punching a mentally handicapped kid in the face, Alex is looking for a change of direction. He seems all out of options until he meets Jim (Michael Weston). Or Jim meets him. Well, basically, Jim punches Alex in the face. Then invites him on tour.

Needless to say, Brooklyn Brothers is full of hilarious moments and pretty good music as well.

Alex plays morose love songs and Jim has an array of old children’s instruments, which he plays pretty well. Together, the duo is said to resemble “The Shins meets Sesame Street” and “Gloria Estefan meets GWAR”.

When the two strangers try to book their first gig, they meet Cassidy (Arielle Kebbel) whom Jim has previously creeped out, trying to lock down their first paying job. Hesitant at first, Alex eventually wins Cassidy over and she agrees to let them go on. She is intrigued by the band and lets them crash at her house. In the morning, she wants to join in on the road trip.

O’Nan showcases his humor and ability to create funny dialogue without channeling too much Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan. Jim’s story about a “dick biting dog” is one of the more hilarious part of the movie.

I could have done without the love story which evolves around Alex and Cassidy, but it was inevitable and overall predictable.

Though humor is a big part of the story, O’Nan has a few great lines concerning his state of being. When he finally gives up on his dream and returns to his older brothers house, he meets his nephew, Jackson, and creates a strong bond. After calling out his brother’s authority during an after-Church brunch, Alex and Brian (Andrew McCarthy) get into it and his big brother tells him to grow up. Alex respondes with, “What is it like to be able to express exactly how you are feeling?”. This line stuck out to me and I finally realized how well I relate to this character.

Alex is lost in a big world. People have been telling him what to do his whole life and how to do it. He loves playing music, even if he only gets to play “once a week for 20 minutes for mentally handicapped kids”. This is a great story with good character development, fresh humor, and relevant themes. I highly recommend this movie.