Neal Brennan – Cut To The Chase

Written & Directed By: Nicholas Stoller
Based on Characters Created by: Jason Segel
Cinematography: Robert D. Yeoman
Editor: William Kerr & Michael L. Sale

Cast: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Sean Combs, Rose Byrne, Elisabeth Moss, Colm Meaney, Aziz Ansari, Kali Hawk, Nick Kroll, Carla Gallo, Ellie Kemper, Jake Johnson, Davone McDonald, T.J. Miller, Neal Brennan, Kristen Schaal, Lindsey Broad, Carlos Jacott, Pharrell Williams, P!NK

A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater.

I remember loving this movie when it came out in theaters and being surprised at Its risqué drug humor at the time. That now seems to come along once in a while when a movie wants to be more lowbrow and challenging.

Recently rewatching this film. It still doubles down on Its shocking humor, but even as hard as it tries to be provocative. Now it seems more than ever to be reaching it. if letting it happen naturally. Which kind of weakens it.

It does stand up as a perfect time capsule of the trends of the time especially when it comes to the music industry. The film tries to make Russell Brand’s character more of a classic rock star but he still comes across as more of a forgettable star of the time period. Which only makes the film feel like a more artificial lake

This is one of the two Russel Brand performances that really took hold at the time. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is the other. Where his character Aldous Snow from this film was only a supporting character. Whose outrageous character stole the show. So this is his spin-off and the movie was supposed to make Brand a big comedic star In America.

This film more shows his character’s downfall though ultimately was Brand’s one big hurrah at the box office. As he did a remake of the film ARTHUR and some smaller film roles and seems to have retired from comedy and acting.

Here his character seems inspired by brand’s public persona at the time and previously. Living a kind of debaucherous hedonistic extravagant exhibitionistic lifestyle. Which he has changed, now to a cleaner and focused one. So once again a time capsule to a precious time.

Sean Combs does a serviceable job in his role as the record company owner. It’s nice to see him having fun with his public image and showing a sense of humor. Making the film even more meta. Though he still comes off stiff. It feels that if a more experienced actor had played the role. It feels as if the character would have more opportunities to be outrageous and unhinged, no holding back.

Even as you would expect combs to be more natural. As he is playing a version of himself under a different name. Though he does bring more of an audience to the film. Who has come to see him be comedic.

The film leaves Jonah Hill with little to do to make an Impression other than playing the nebbish straight man and worrywart. Who ends up being punished for most of the film for the shenanigans of others. This comes off more like an acting performance than a comedic one or even having a comedic persona.

This is definitely a hard R Rated film that shockingly holds back in showing anything that would feel exploitive but still a little shocked of the material used in such a mainstream aimed film. Mostly drug-related and sex Jokes but barely any real sex scenes and when there is they are obscured and no nudity.

There is plenty of inspired humor and shocks but somehow anytime it seems to aim for audacious. It ends up mediocre. It comes off that way. So that it feels watered down or at least played by numbers at times. It also comes off as a film where you want to live out the film rather than watch it. As it seems to offer wishes it just can’t grant.

This is a film that is probably better and funnier under the influence.

GRADE: B-

Written, Edited & Directed By: Josh Trank
Cinematography: Peter Deming

Cast: Tom Hardy, Linda Cardellini, Matt Dillon, Kyle Maclachlan, Al Sapienza, Katherine Narducci, Noel Fisher, Jack London, Neal Brennan, Tilda Del Toro

The 47-year old Al Capone, after 10 years in prison, starts suffering from dementia and comes to be haunted by his violent past.

There is a lot here to deal with. Most of the film and material comes off as a fever dream that hints at or points out places of interest. Though pretty soon the films succumb to the madness of the protagonist and soon becomes where you can’t tell memory from a flashback of reality or madness.

Tom hardy is clearly enjoying himself going fully overboard in a lived-in performance under tons of make-up and using active tics constantly. He sounds like a human cobra commander and the makeup seems realistic in that it is overdone think Johnny Depp in BLACK MASS where neither of them looks natural or all that human necessarily. Where he mostly makes noises and his character continuously poops on himself. To show degradation and how sick he is and the mighty have fallen but it happens so often. After a while, you feel like you could program a drinking game to it.

The film swings and attempts a kind of David Lynch vibe of the film where the strangeness and non-linear storytelling will be fascinating in Itself and it’s own art that the audience will find the beauty in all of this. Which works with a director who is used to or knows for telling stories in that way. Unfortunately, this one isn’t. Casting Kyle Maclachlan in the film only helps strengthen this theory.

As this is supposed to be writer/director Josh Trank’s comeback after the FANTASTIC FOUR movie bombing. One can understand why he went this route. As most of the films he made before were special effects spectacles and science fiction. Here he gets his hand to try drama and thriller of sorts. As well as a crime story based on real people.

This film just seems all over the place and might have been more interesting with some cohesiveness and an understanding as half the people in his house we are left wondering their relationships. A lot of stuff isn’t explained And it comes off as more random And not fun random.

As the audience might not know that much about al Capone and his past. So when bringing in various information, characters and showing them to have significance later in the film is purposeful but when we are introduced we don’t know of their importance and seem more random or built up to not mean as much when their character is more revealed.

This is a film that has a lot of symbolism but nothing really behind it as it offers no hints or notes. So it keeps building to ultimately nothing. It could have been tightened by the missing buried money plot, a treasure hunt if you will, making it stronger.

Even if it feels like a point of interest for the other strands of stories and characters to revolve around, it would also help as half the time making us wonder if this is all an act and he actually is mad or at first he is faking and then slowly he and we realize he is actually going crazy. As watching it now we know he is crazy but never knows what is real, fantasy, flashback.

Which doesn’t help when we see scenes of characters that have nothing to do with him mixed in. So we take those as real and then later male reveals where maybe they weren’t. The randomness includes Matt Dillon being introduced during a sex scene why? So the film will have some Sex In it? Then being called into Florida with his amour. We never see her again and as it is separate why are we seeing it when we eventually learn of his character and his eventual fate.

In the end, you can see what attracted the cast and why the director made the film Or at least his intentions, but it seems to have had the equivalent of shooting himself in the foot.

While also having the last hurrah on a sinking ship that only he thought might survive and prosper.

Grade: D

Tag: Neal Brennan

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010)

CAPONE (2020)