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''Brigsby Bear'' is a 2017 American
comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by
Dave McCary David Lawrence McCary (born July 2, 1985) is an American comedian, writer, and director. From 2013 to 2019, he served as a segment director for ''Saturday Night Live'' and was also the main director for the first two seasons of the popular web ...
in his
feature directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
, written by Kevin Costello and
Kyle Mooney Kyle James Kozub Mooney (born September 4, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2013 until 2022. Mooney co-wrote and starred in the film '' Brigsby Bear'', in addition to co-crea ...
, and starring Mooney,
Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influenti ...
, Mark Hamill,
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including '' Sabrina'' (1 ...
,
Andy Samberg Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2005 ...
, Matt Walsh, and
Michaela Watkins Michaela Suzanne Watkins (born December 14, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for starring on the Hulu series '' Casual'' and on the short-lived sitcoms '' The Unicorn'' and ''Trophy Wife'', as well as being a cast memb ...
. It tells the story of a captive man raised in a bunker since he was a baby being rescued by the authorities where he obsessed over a children's television program titled ''Brigsby Bear''. When he realizes the show was created by his captor that he called his dad, his fascination leads him to finish the storyline himself. The film was inspired by McCary, Mooney, and Kevin Costello's middle school experiences making
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s together, with a story stemming from Mooney's fascination with 1980s children's shows.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
took place in
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
during Mooney and McCary's break from working on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' in 2016. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, and was theatrically released by
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produce ...
on July 28. Upon release, ''Brigsby Bear'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the script, direction, cast, and art design, and also commended the film's sentimental tone.


Plot

James is forced to live in an underground bunker with his parents Ted and April Mitchum. While Ted tells James that the outside world is dangerous, he often is seen by James leaving the bunker with a gas mask on. James is fascinated with an educational children's show titled ''Brigsby Bear'', centered around the title bear helping characters escape from trouble, because it is the only show he owns and is allowed to watch. One night, he sneaks out only to see several police cars approach the home. As the police raid the bunker, James is taken away from Ted and April, who are arrested. James is brought to the police station and meets Detective Vogel, who tells James that Ted and April are not his real parents and that he has been held captive since he was a baby. Vogel then introduces James to his real parents, Greg and Louise Pope, and their teenage daughter, Aubrey. Having trouble adapting to his new life, James visits a psychologist named Emily, who informs James that ''Brigsby Bear'' is not real and was made by Ted, a former artist and designer, who disappeared with his wife in 1987. Emily explains that the police tracked Ted from the studio where the show was made after he was spotted by a passerby days prior. Realizing that no one else will continue the story, James comes up with the idea to make a movie based on the character to close the series. One night, Aubrey takes James to a party. He meets Aubrey's friend Spencer and later starts talking about ''Brigsby Bear'' to his new friends. He starts production after Vogel, who sympathizes with James through Vogel's own early acting dreams, lends James some props from the show, and Spencer, being a filmmaker, agrees to make the movie with him. Spencer also advertises the movie by uploading episodes of ''Brigsby Bear'' to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, where it gains popularity and a new audience. Greg and Louise do not approve of James' activities because they fear it hinders his chances of living a normal life. While filming in a forest, James uses an explosive he made for a scene that detonates, surprising Spencer. The group is arrested, but James takes the blame for it. The police release him but confiscate the ''Brigsby Bear'' props once again. James takes his parents' car out one night to steal the costumes and props. He takes a detour first to his old underground home, now abandoned and cordoned off with yellow tape. James stops by a diner and discovers Whitney, an actress he recognizes from ''Brigsby Bear''. She tells him that she never knew the true circumstances behind the side acting job, having been told by Ted that it was for Canadian public access. As the police arrive outside, James asks Whitney to reprise her role for his film and admits he has had a longtime crush on her. James is placed in a mental institution. Meanwhile, Aubrey shows her parents parts of the movie, where the two realize that making the movie allowed him to spend time with his friends. One night, James breaks out of the institution to grab his belongings, but discovers his family, along with Spencer and Vogel, building a ''Brigsby Bear'' set in their garage. The family tells him that they had agreed to help out after seeing how happy he was behind the scenes. James finishes the movie, with Vogel and Whitney in lead roles, and visits an incarcerated Ted, who apologizes for abducting him. James tells Ted about the movie and states that they are having trouble getting the voices right. Ted helps him out by recording the voice-overs for Brigsby and other characters. On premiere night, the show is sold out and James is worried no one will like it, so he stays out of the theater while the movie plays. After it concludes, James walks into the theater and is met with a standing ovation. While being embraced by his family, James notices a real-life Brigsby on stage. The pair nod at each other and Brigsby disappears.


Cast


Production

''Brigsby Bear'' was co-written by Kyle Mooney and Kevin Costello, and directed by Dave McCary in his
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. All three grew up in
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 eighth most populous city in the United State ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and attended middle school together. Mooney and McCary, alongside
Beck Bennett Christopher Beck Bennett (born October 1, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons (2013–2021). Before then, he performed in AT&T "It's Not Complicated" commercials in ...
and
Nick Rutherford Nicholas Rutherford (born August 7, 1985) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and co-founder of the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor. He has performed live stand up and sketch comedy in Los Angeles and New York. He was a writer for ''Saturday ...
, later formed the sketch group Good Neighbor, and all joined the cast and crew of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' (''SNL'') in 2013. Mooney and Costello wrote the film over a two-to-three-year period. Much of the character of James comes from Mooney's personal life, which he considered obsessive, sometimes awkward, and always nostalgic. Whenever Costello and Mooney could write together, they would write fast and messy, with Costello polishing it while Mooney worked at ''SNL''. Mooney was fascinated by children's television shows from the 1980s, which he felt combined "happy-go-lucky and positive meets the creepy, weird, and psychedelic." He and McCary both singled out ''Prayer Bear'' as a primary inspiration. Mooney collects VHS tapes from garage sales, which also fueled the film's aesthetic. Their positions at ''SNL'' allowed them to cast their film with big names such as Mark Hamill, who plays Ted, the main villain. McCary likened Ted's character to a depraved
Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
, "teaching weird lessons about the world in a loving way." He noted he and Costello both grew up in strict, Christian households, which colored the way they depicted the character. They hoped to have viewers intrigued by the retro nature of the bunker, which they infused with a "low-rent
Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Magic Kingdom, based on the animated sequences of the 1946 Disney film ''Song of the South''. Although there are variations in the story and features between the three locatio ...
" feel. McCary was largely responsible for the film's earnest and sometimes melancholy tone, which he felt serviced James's emotional journey in the film. For McCary, he had always hoped to direct something dramatic, as opposed to his more comedic material in the past. Part of James's journey in the film, including his fear that people would not enjoy his film, came from a genuine place for the three filmmakers. In addition, when making the film, the three discovered that in many ways, they were documenting their friendship of creating videos together. The film was shot in mid-2016 in
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
during Mooney and McCary's break from ''SNL'' due to the geography. The Utah Film Commission put out a press release in June 2016 announcing that six films had been granted incentives to film in the state, including ''Brigsby Bear''. They shot the film with a small, close-knit group and likened the experience to summer camp. After shooting the film, McCary had to complete editing while still working at ''SNL''.


Release

The film premiered at the Eccles Theater at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017. Shortly after,
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produce ...
(SPC) acquired distribution rights to the film for $5 million, which was far higher than the film's budget. The team behind the film were happy working with SPC, noting that they wanted no edits made to the film and were on the same page regarding keeping the film's plot line a secret in its marketing. They achieved this by only advertising the film's first 15 minutes. Mooney said they "always wanted it to be somewhat mysterious", while McCary said he was not "excited about the prospect of people going to this movie being a step ahead". After having a panel at the 2017
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...
, the film's formal premiere was in New York on July 26, 2017, beginning its theatrical run on July 28. The film was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
,
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
, and digital download on November 14, 2017.


Reception

The site's critical consensus reads, "Audiences attuned to ''Brigsby Bear''s strange frequency will be moved by its earnest – and endearingly original – approach to pop culture's impact and the creative urge."
Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...
from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' summarized it as a "sweet and sometimes delightful melancholic story," which she praised for its direction in tackling subjects about imagination and love. John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' found it to be "a charming, surprisingly underplayed paean to pop-culture obsession." Geoff Berkshire of ''
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), ...
'' praised every aspect of the film from its cast to script, but singled out the art department's successful presentation of the ''Brigsby'' show and the underground bunker from the opening scenes. ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
''s Emily Yoshida analyzed it as asking questions about the impact of
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
s along with "the purging effect of storytelling." A.A. Dowd of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' felt it could have been a "soulful fairy tale," but ended up "a quirky sitcom recovery fable about transforming our childhoods through art to overcome them." Leslie Felperin, writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', deemed it "overly whimsical," but also "likable enough, even if it contains precious few belly laughs." Stephanie Merry from ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' perceived the film's genuine tone as fresh and that it "never ventures into the caustic simply for the sake of comedy." Conversely, David Sims of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' felt the film ends up too "blandly optimistic" but felt it was "hard to fault Mooney and Costello for choosing the sweeter path". ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' Tom Russo surmised "the incereapproach can be a reach, but on the whole it works better than you might guess." ''
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 cu ...
'' Chris Nashawaty considered it a "slight, handcrafted indie that's sweet, skewed, and feels a bit like a skit stretched out to feature length." David Ehrlich of
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
felt the film veered into formula, concluding that it "settles for a weak trajectory that isn't good enough to be weird."


References


External links

* * {{Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 2017 films 2017 comedy films 2017 directorial debut films American comedy films Films about film directors and producers Films about filmmaking Films about kidnapping Films produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Films shot in Salt Lake City Films shot in Utah Sony Pictures Classics films 2017 independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films