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

SXSW 2022 review: A father-son catfishing story in ‘I LOVE MY DAD’ is one of this year’s funniest films.

I LOVE MY DAD

A story of attempted redemption gets complicated in this wildly personal and deliriously funny film. Chuck was not a great father. After his son Franklin gets released from a mental health facility, Chuck is determined to reconnect. Although he has the purest intentions, the way he goes about it could not be more wrong. Chuck decides to catfish him. Sounds like a foolproof plan, perhaps in some other universe. SXSW22 narrative feature I LOVE MY DAD will have you cackling and cringing from beginning to end.

Rachel Dratch provides further levity with her overt sexual intensity as Chucks’s girlfriend. Dratch and Oswalt have an outstanding dynamic. Claudia Sulewski is a spitfire. The way she can bounce off Morosini is magic. Put her in everything. Patton Oswalt as Chuck is a pure joy to watch. Each panged look on his face as he receives messages not meant for his eyes is visceral. He is charming as hell, and you can’t help but root for him. Writer-director and star James Morosini‘s personal story lands between heart-warming and cringeworthy, and every minute is wonderful. He is mesmerizing. Wearing his heart on his sleeve is one thing, but his willingness to embrace the slapstick comedy is on another level.

The script is super unique. Comedy aside, I LOVE MY DAD melds a story of mental health, self-worth, and connection. Including a particular track from The Cure has more weight than I first realized. The transitions when Becca/Patton begins to chat with Franklin (and vice versa) come out of left field, and they are gloriously creative. You will not be able to contain yourself. Either way you look at it, Morosini is pretty brave for putting this stuff out there. If this doesn’t get Hollywood’s attention, I’ll be shocked. As we bounce from sweet to outlandish, I LOVE MY DAD is one of the best films to come out of SXSW22.


Director:

James Morosini

Executive Producer:

Lauren Hantz, John Hantz, Jeremy Garelick, Dave Rath, David Bernon, Will Phelps, Paul Bernon

Producer:

Bill Stertz, Patton Oswalt, Sean O’Grady, Dane Eckerle, Phil Keefe, Daniel Brandt, Sam Slater

Screenwriter:

James Morosini

Cinematographer:

Steven Capitano Calitri

Editor:

Josh Crockett

Production Designer:

Bret August Tanzer

Principal Cast:

Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewski, Rachel Dratch, Ricky Velez, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker

Additional Credits:

Line Producer: Billy Mulligan, Visual Effects: Patrick Longstreth, Casting: Eyde Belasco, Associate Producer: Jeffrey Penman


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