Movie Review: "Call Me Brother" (2020)
Call Me Brother Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by October Coast
Directed by David Howe
Written by Christina Parrish
2020, 77 minutes, Not Rated
Released on November 6th, 2020
Starring:
Andrew Dismukes as Tony
Christina Parrish as Lisa
Asaf Ronen as Frank
Danu Uribe as Doris
Kim Lowery as Rachel
Review:
SIBLING INCEST.
Now that I have your attention (and hopefully a little of your reflexive revulsion at that phrase), let’s dive into the daring indie from David Howe (Castlevania TV series) and Christina Parrish (with her first feature as a writer). You’re going to have to be ready for some uncomfortable shit that’ll make you squirm as much as it’ll make you laugh (at least occasionally). The subject matter isn’t exactly standard popcorn flick fare, after all.
Tony (Andrew Dismukes; Saturday Night Live regular) and Lisa (Christina Parrish; Blood Fest) have been completely separated for the last ten years following their parents ugly divorce. As children, they were thicker than thieves. They were also each other’s “security blanket” during the constant fighting and chaos of their parents marriage. Now, on the cusp of adulthood, they are reunited for a weekend when their mother, Rachel (Kim Lowery), decides to go to Cancun for the weekend. Lisa is returned to her sexually open father, Frank (Asaf Ronen; Red vs. Blue) and his new wife, Doris (Danu Uribe; Pictures of Superheroes). She and Tony pick up where they left off- playing make believe, chasing each other, and just being happy to be together again. They aren’t little kids anymore, though, and Tony and Lisa are developing feelings for each other that go way beyond the boundaries of a brother and sister relationship. Can they make it through the weekend (and the madness of their dad’s oversexed household) without obliterating a serious taboo?
Call Me Brother is the kind of movie that you’ll always remember, though it may not be for entirely positive reasons. It’s overtly a comedy, but it’s equally dramatic and frankly dark as hell. That blend of light and dark is one that’s tricky in seasoned hands, and the writing here is painful at times. Everyone in the film that’s not in the immediate family surpass being simply annoying and blast right into the realm of making you want to smash your television. There’s a host of friends and party guests, and they’re best ignored (if you can). The store clerks, in particular, made my personal Top 10 Most Obnoxious Characters of All Time list. I really try not to get wound up about this sort of thing, but as comedic ambience they’re bad stereotypes with the volume turned up to about a thousand.
There’s also a fair amount of dialogue that sounds unnatural and forced…and occasionally outright cringeworthy. When asked by Lisa if he loves Doris, Frank (who insists on being called Frank and not Dad because Doris calls him Dad in the bedroom) replies, “All her words are not my favorite words, but yeah…I love her.” I can’t picture an honest to God human being speaking like that, ever. Maybe the intent is quirky oddball dialogue, but it simply comes off as bizarre and jarring.
It’s a shame, too, because Call Me Brother works superbly as a drama about two damaged kids looking for the piece that’s missing from their lives. When Lisa is taken by their mother in an ugly and scarring flashback scene, you realize just how dark the psychology of Call Me Brother is. The bond between Tony and Lisa is incredibly strong; both Andrew Dismukes and Christina Parrish make that well-written bond believable with great chemistry and pinpoint timing. They are the show here, and while practically everything outside of their relationships falls either flat or hideously uncomfortable, they are like a slice of fried gold together and bring a fair amount of redemption to this confusing film.
Compounding the mystery that is Call Me Brother is the fact that the sheer awkwardness and discomfort brought on by seeing full-blood siblings playing it as a romantic comedy often results in some really funny shit. It’s inconsistent humor, sure…but it works on a bizarro level that sticks with you. If inappropriate comedy is your bag, you’ll find a lot to love here (even with the astoundingly obnoxious surrounding cast). The film builds to a jet black finish of such ludicrous hilarity and shock value that you will stand and clap while you cackle. It’s the only logical ending, really.
I’m compelled to give it two ratings, since it really is two separate films roughly combined into one highly wrong one. I admire that; I really do. I just wish the mesh was more deftly handled. I’m still working through some questions (like why were they so damn childish despite being about 18 years old?), and I may need to watch it again to see how it “ages”.
Instead, it seems fair to go with an average rating of the two extremes for a movie that misses the mark more often than not as a comedy while hitting a home run as a dark drama. In fact, I’d kill to see this as a straight mindfuck horror movie. Can we manage that? As cliché as it is, I can say I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
That has to count for something, right?
Grade:
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
