Review: Executive produced by Snoop Dogg, ‘BROMATES’ is an over-the-top buddy comedy, chock full of hilarious performances.

BROMATES

Two best friends go through breakups and decide to move in together. Total opposites, Sid and Jonesie, make great buddies but not-so-great roomies. To help Sid move on from his ex, Jonesie revs up Sid’s confidence leading to a journey that’s the most random path to healing ever. BROMATES boasts a ton of laughs and cameos. Part road movie, part buddy comedy, and a bit of climate change activism, it’s funny as hell.

Jessica Lowe is positively loathsome as influencer girlfriend Sadie. You cannot help but laugh at her ridiculously aloof behavior. Brendan Scannell as Runway Dave and Asif Ali as Angry Mike provide the added laughs to round out our group of guys. They give unforgettable performances.

Josh Brener plays Sid, a whipped Instagram boyfriend, and solar energy employee. His downer straight man act perfectly counters Howery’s positive energy. Lil Rel Howery is Jonesie, and he is the best thing in BROMATES. Laugh out loud hysterical. His relentless optimism is infectious. Joke after joke, the delivery is so natural I could not tell you if any of his lines were improvised. He is that good.

The script has honest Hangover vibes. While I wish the film focused more on actual roommate scenarios and less on the wacky road trip aspect, I still laughed my ass off. The climate change aspect is subtle and pitch-perfect. Kudos to the writers for using it effectively. The numerous cameos and ancillary characters no doubt strengthen the film, from beginning to end. Rob Riggle, Flula Borg, and Parvesh Cheena leave lasting impressions. In the end, raunchy and over-the-top, BROMATES is undeniably goofy as hell. You’ll laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.


Available in THEATERS, on DIGITAL and ON DEMAND, OCTOBER 7th, 2022

 

Genre: buddy comedy with a focus on clean energy
Opens: Oct 7 in Theaters, Oct 28 on VOD from Quiver
Directed by: Court Crandall (writer of classic comedy Old School)
Executive Produced by: Chris Kemper and Snoop Dogg
Starring: Josh Brener (“Silicon Valley”), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Brendan Scannell (“Heathers”), Asif Ali (“Don’t Worry Darling”, “WandaVision”), Jessica Lowe (“Minx,” “The Righteous Gemstones”), Flula Borg (Pitch Perfect), Ken Davitian (Borat), Taryn Manning (“Orange Is the New Black”), Marla Gibbs (“The Jeffersons”), Rob Riggle (The Hangover), with a cameo from Snoop Dogg

Review: ‘WELCOME TO HAPPINESS’ is a quirky guide through what-if.

Presents
WELCOME TO HAPPINESS
Opening In Theaters & On Demand May 20thwelcome to happiness poster

What if you had the option to change a single moment in your past? Would you take it? We all think at some point or another, “If only I hadn’t said/done that, things would be so different!” But, do we ever think about the ripple effect of taking back that action? In Oliver Thompson‘s new festival favorite, we’re plunged into a world where this very choice is presented to a select few.welcome to happiness kyle gallner

In WELCOME TO HAPPINESS, Woody (Gallner), a children’s author, rents a strange apartment from his landlord, Moses (Offerman). There’s a magical door in Woody’s closet that allows those who go through it to erase mistakes from their past. While he was once happy to facilitate the passage of the random strangers summoned to his apartment, Woody soon begins to question why he himself is not allowed to go through.

welcome to happiness nick offermanOliver Thompson‘s duel role as writer and director suits this indie gem to a T. Stylistically vibrant and charming, WELCOME TO HAPPINESS is something akin to ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND in look and quirk factor, but most assuredly has its very own unique voice. The colorful cinematography is a brilliant reflection of each character’s momentary mood. The plot has intrinsically intertwined story lines and is full of surprisingly insightful glee all while tackling the ghost of depression. Thompson has achieved quite the feat, no doubt. welcome to happiness still brendan sexton III and

Kyle Gallner‘s performance is honest and down to earth. This might be some of his best work, although he’s always a solid performer. Nick Offerman gets the opportunity to break free from his sardonic persona to tackle a more gentle character. Given the task, he absolutely shines. It’s nice to see this side of him. Olivia Thirlby is a wonder no matter the role and Brendon Sexton III‘s ever discontented presence it perfect for this film. The cast from top to bottom is a true delight.  WELCOME TO HAPPINESS is an immensely thoughtful film without ever taking itself too seriously. This is a rare find. You can catch the movie in theaters and On Demand this Friday, May 20th. Take a peak at the trailer below!

WELCOME TO HAPPINESS Opens May 20th

The film has been awarded ‘Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking’ at the Newport Beach Film Festival, ‘Excellence in Producing’ and ‘Producers Choice’ at the International Festival of Cinema, ‘Best Narrative Feature’ at the deadCENTER Film Festival, as well as ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ at the Phoenix Film Festival. 

Written & Directed by Oliver Thompson

Produced by Bay Dariz, Oliver Thompson, Molly C. Quinn, and Kyle Gallner

Starring
Kyle Gallner (Veronica MarsAmerican Sniper)
Olivia Thirlby (Juno)
Nick Offerman (NBC’s Parks and Recreation)
Molly C. Quinn (ABC’s Castle)
Brendan Sexton III (AMC’s The Killing)
Josh Brener (HBO’s Silicon Valley)
Keegan-Michael Key (Comedy Central’s Key and Peele)
Paget Brewster (CBS’s Criminal Minds)
Frances Conroy (FX’s American Horror Story)

HBO Releases Second Trailer for Silicon Valley Season 2

SiliconValleyBar640HBO has revealed the second trailer for Silicon Valley Season 2 which you can check out below.

The show was created by Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead) and stars Thomas Middleditch (The Campaign), T.J. Miller (Transformers 4), Zach Woods (The Other Guys), Kumail Nanjiani (Sex Tape), Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks), Josh Brener (The Internship), Amanda Crew (Charlie St. Cloud), Matt Ross (Magic City) and Jimmy O. Yang.

A comedy partially inspired by Mike Judge’s own experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the late 1980s takes a look into the high-tech gold rush of modern Silicon Valley, where the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success.

The show returns with ten all new episodes beginning Sunday, April 12 at 10pm ET/PT following the season premiere of Game of Thrones and followed by the season premiere of Veep!