''Douchebag'' is a 2010 film directed by

Drake Doremus Drake Doremus (born March 29, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing the films ''Like Crazy'' (2011), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, '' Douchebag'' (2010) which ...

. The film is a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, focusing on Alex Barradas, his older brother Sam Nussbaum (Andrew Dickler) and Sam's fiancée Steph (

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy ''Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in ''The Might ...

Plot

Sam Nussbaum is a seemingly environmentally-conscientious vegetarian living an established life in

with his fiancée, Steph. When Steph asks Sam why he has been estranged from his younger brother, Tom, for two years, he tells her that Tom resented him taking their dog, Angela, to college. Steph introduces herself to Tom - an aspiring artist financially dependent upon his parents - who she brings home, to surprise Sam. The brothers agree in secret to keep their animosity at bay until the wedding the following week, for Steph's sake. While perusing Tom's fifth grade yearbook, Sam and Steph learn about Tom's sweetheart, Mary Barger. Sam and Steph suggest that Tom bring Mary to the wedding as a date, although there are three women in California sharing that name. Sam and Tom drive to

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, to meet the first incorrect woman, who Sam has an unpleasant interaction with, due to them gifting her flowers and her not wishing to return them. Despite Tom and Steph's protests, Sam insists that he and his brother travel to the second Mary in

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

. At the

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located i ...

she works at, she denies that she is Tom's childhood sweetheart, but she still goes on an impromptu date at the rink with him. Mary enjoys her time with Tom, but concludes with a kiss that they would not work out. Steph visits a tuxedo shop, where she learns that Tom never was fitted for the wedding, despite his claims otherwise. Sam and Tom press on toward

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. Along the way, they visit a

teahouse A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

, where Sam flirts with another patron, Sarah, who gives him her mobile number. Tom watches as Sam eats a hamburger, despite claiming to be a vegetarian. Along the drive, Sam insists that they stay at a

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

, despite their destination not being far away. After having beers together, Sam sneaks out to a party, where he meets up with and has sex with Sarah. Awaking to find himself alone the following morning, Tom calls Steph, who asks him what happened between the brothers. Sam returns, prompting a confrontation with Tom, revealing that Angela was a woman he was attracted to who Sam had sex with. After Tom abandons him, Sam visits Sarah, who he tells he is not a nice person to. Sam and Tom reunite and rectify their relationship. They drive to the last and real Mary's home, but Tom says it does not matter anymore, and they head back to Los Angeles. Steph states she does not wish to get married, while Sam confesses that he needs to improve upon himself. Sam moves out, although he wishes to garden for Steph on a weekly basis. Sam visits Tom at an art gallery featuring his illustrations depicting their road trip.

Cast

*Andrew Dickler as Sam Nussbaum *Ben York Jones as Thomas Nussbaum *

as Steph *Nicole Vicius as Mary Barger #2 *

Amy Ferguson Amy Ferguson is an American actress and model. Ferguson is also a singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name of "Grandma Dirt." Life and career Ferguson was born in Cincinnati and raised in southern Ohio. She attended Dr. John Hole Elementar ...

as Sarah *

Wendi McLendon-Covey Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress and comedian. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. Since 2013, McLendon-Covey has played the role of Beverly Goldberg, a fami ...

as Mary Barger #1

Background

''Douchebag'' is Doremus' third feature. It was filmed in

and outside Doremus' father's house on the Newport Peninsula. The film was an official selection for the 2010

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. The success of the film at the festival led to it being picked up by distributor Red Dragon for a theatrical release in September 2010.

Critical reception

''Douchebag'' received a "Rotten" score of 55% on the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on a weighted average of 23 total reviews. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''s

Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''. Early life Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...

opined that the film "often feels forced and unconvincing", although praising Dickler's film debut as "memorably repellent". ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''s Owen Gleiberman called it "a bubblingly sharp and fresh and dark and winning comedy". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' called it "a clever

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

comedy". ''

BoxOffice ''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP. History It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, with ...

'' was less complimentary, calling it "undistinguished, in the sense that its ideas and emotional payloads are both safe and small".

References

External links

*
Video interview with Drake Doremus, Andrew Dickler and Ben York Jones
, '' Moving Pictures''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Douchebag 2010s comedy road movies 2010 independent films 2010 films 2010s road movies American comedy road movies American independent films Films about brothers Films about infidelity Films directed by Drake Doremus Films produced by Jonathan Schwartz Films set in California Films shot in California 2010s English-language films 2010s American films