Discovering the Duplass Brothers

First off, I received a lot of interesting feedback regarding my Douche Toddler post.  This includes strangers, friends, and family (and I don't know how my family actually found this.)  No, I'm not actually depressed.  That post was written in a whirlwind of frustration, so please acknowledge the therapeutic power of venting.

A consequence of this blog though: Preston (the Editorial Director of this almighty website) called me up last night and was all like, "You're slipping man.  You're getting sloppy.  Let me give you some direction for the next one, because I can tell you're pissed off and I want to steer towards some more positive subject matter."  Pff.

I of course told him to screw himself; that my blog is my soap box and I can say whatever I want, especially if it's in the spirit of maintaining sanity.  He quickly disagreed, saying that I was becoming incredibly self-indulgent, incoherent, and straying from my "voice."

Now, during my fledgling years of adulthood I've learned one major thing about myself: I'm often times resilient to advice simply because characteristically I'm a very opinionated, self-driven, non-image concerned person.  A lot of the time I go against the grain, seemingly because it's who I am deep down… but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that often times it's really because I'm stubborn and determined to do things my way.  

After a hot minute of sitting on Preston's recommendation, and simultaneously synthesizing this knowledge about myself, I decided that I'd heed his advice.  Consider this an experiment; an effort towards making "baby steps" (in the What About Bob? sense) towards self-improvement.  So moving on…

Preston said I should check out more work by Jay and Mark Duplass (the Duplass Brothers).  I saw Cyrus with him this weekend, and needless to say, I wholly agree with Preston's review.  I (like Preston) am also an Awkward Andy, so Reilly's performance was something I completely identified with (more so than Preston after a heated pissing contest debate over Pabst Blue Ribbon.)  Anyway, the review that's up on TSL is more or less my same sentiments towards Cyrus, so I won't dissect it any further.  Let me just say that it's a film that eerily strikes the most realistic chord I've experienced in the movies in a long ass time.  I think the last one for me was (gulp)… American Beauty.  I know, I know – a long time ago and super cliche.  

So yeah – needless to say I was really impressed.  And due to Preston's persistence, I decided to watch another Duplass Brothers film to get out of my "funk."  Enter Baghead.

A friend of mine put it best – Baghead is the Adaptation of horror films.  It revolves around 4 friends who take a trek to the woods to "shoot a movie" – they just have a shitty consumer camera, so it's not like they're trying to be pretentious filmmakers.  They're painfully normal.

Anyway, the movie was great, and it's because of the Duplass Brothers' uncanny ability to magnify the awkward nuances of people in the most endearing ways possible.  For instance, Chad (Steve Zissis) is more or less the hero of Baghead – a pretty Jewy, corpulent man-child who loves Michelle (Greta Gerwig).  Michelle is one of those girls that effortlessly lights up a room – she's got that understated sexuality that's almost invisible, but you're slapped in the face with it whenever she's around.  She's witty, but not too witty – she's not about outshining anyone – but at the same time, she needs attention, so much so that she becomes super flirty with any given person that's around her just to direct eyes toward her.  And when she gets the eyes she wants on her, she flirts for about 30 seconds… then she goes into aloof mode – you're (or I guess Chad) always left wondering if she's into you or not.  But you get the sense that she's the type of chick that has "street smarts" imbedded in her core – that she's the girl that tackles you out of nowhere and lusts all over you whenever she damn well pleases.

Enough about her – I've known so many "Michelles" it makes my head spin.  What I'm getting at though – the Duplass Brothers (in my opinion of contemporary cinema) are unrivaled with capturing the most brutal emotional honesty – between people just being people.  Everything I've listed about Michelle is inferred – you never really get any sort of explanation like this.  There's a scene in Baghead where Chad is attempting (in very poor form) to confess his love to MIchelle.  He goes to her room at the cabin, and you can see ever-so-subtly on Greta Gerwig's face that Michelle knows EXACTLY what Chad is doing there.  It's not an eye roll or sigh or look away or any of that cliche bullshit that's in every movie – she welcomes him in the room, gives him very "arm's length" affection, and then just looks away when he goes in for the most ill-timed kiss in this history of ill-timed kisses (we've all been there, admit it).  She emotionally removes herself from any consequence she may have "suffered" from Chad's love confessional – she plays the mousy aloof card, and totally gets away with it, leaving Chad in a state of "What just happened?  Did I actually tell her that I love her?  Or did I pussy out?  Or maybe I never even went in the room and did that.  What just happened?"  Yes, she knows exactly what she just did, but she's so complex (just like every real woman I've ever met like Michelle) that she still requites Chad's affections in the most teasing, patronizing way possible.  She never says, "No Chad.  Not happening."  Instead it's more like, "Oh Chad, I love you too.  You're like a mix between my brother and best friend.  Lets hug."  Okay, she's using tact here, and definitely still shooting him down.  But the Duplass's direction and writing (along with Gerwig's amazing performance – almost NON performance) is what sets this scene up so legitimately.

I've found new film love.  The Duplass Brothers have me by the balls and I just want more.  Why hadn't I seen anything of theirs before?  

God: "Because you didn't need their movies yet."

Me: "What do you mean, God?"

God: "You weren't the awkward fart you are now.  These movies weren't relevant for you yet."

Me: "Okay.  But why?"

God: "Shut up."