My Blind Brother

My Blind Brother is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sophie Goodhart. The film is based on the director's short film which was nominated for the Palme d'Or in 2003.[1] It stars Adam Scott, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Zoe Kazan and Charlie Hewson. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016.[2] The film was released on September 23, 2016, as a limited release and through video on demand by Orion Pictures and Starz Digital.[3]

My Blind Brother
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySophie Goodhart
Written bySophie Goodhart
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEric Lin
Edited byJennifer Lee
Music byIan Hultquist
Production
companies
  • Low Spark Films
  • Safehouse Pictures
  • Think Media Studios
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 12, 2016 (2016-03-12) (South by Southwest)
  • September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

An overachieving blind man and his unaccomplished brother compete for the same woman.

Cast
  • Adam Scott as Robbie
  • Nick Kroll as Bill
  • Jenny Slate as Rose
  • Zoe Kazan as Francie
  • Charlie Hewson as GT
  • Maryann Nagel as Jane
  • Greg Violand as Phill
  • Talia Tabin as Micia
  • Heidi Lewandowski as Clarese Singer

Production

My Blind Brother was filmed in Northeast Ohio, with one of the water scenes was shot on Sheffield Lake, Ohio.[4] The final "cut" of the film was made on Thursday at Lorain's Lakeview Park.[4] The film took a month to produce.[4]

Release

The film premiered at the South by Southwest festival on March 12, 2016.[5][6] On March 15, 2016, it was reported that Starz had acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] The film was scheduled to be released on September 23, 2016, in a limited release and through video on demand.[3]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 36 reviews, with an average ranking of 6.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "My Blind Brother takes a refreshingly character-driven approach to its familiar sibling rivalry while adding a somewhat unexpected twist."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of a 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]

Andrew Barker of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing that the film "takes an ostensibly dark premise — a man of few qualities attempts to steal his overachieving blind brother’s girlfriend — and turns it into a featherweight frolic as winningly unambitious as its central couple played by Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate."[10]

Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times called the film "A thoroughly harmless comedy that spaces its one-liners a bit widely".[11] In a review for The Seattle Times, Tom Keogh praised the film's "love-hate energy", especially when it comes to "Robbie's condescension [and] Bill's passive-aggressiveness".[12]

Dmitry Samarov of Chicago Reader wrote "Zoe Kazan provides the only compelling moments... yet playing the normal one among such a group of narcissists is a thankless task".[13] Scott Marks of San Diego Reader said that "First-time director Sophie Goodhart coaxes a grown-up performance out of Kroll, and Scott's smarmy contentiousness has never been put to better use".[14]

According to Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club, "[the film] is slight and a little easy, but it's powered by sincere affection".[15] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter opinion was that the film is "Enjoyable, if not a laugh riot".[16]

Kevin P. Sullivan of Entertainment Weekly had a different take on the film. His response was "Though My Blind Brother clearly isn't aiming for the feel-good realm, the emotions never ring true enough to make any of the purposely flawed leads relatable, never mind likable".[17]

References
  1. Goldstein, Gary (September 22, 2016). "Review: Dark comedy 'My Blind Brother' ably balances love triangle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. "My Blind Brother". South by Southwest. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. Brayson, Johnny (August 23, 2016). "'My Blind Brother' Might Be the Most Daring Comedy of the Year". Bustle.
  4. O'Connor, Clint (June 12, 2015). "'My Blind Brother' movie wraps Northeast Ohio shoot, heads into post-production". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  5. Lincoln, Ross A. (March 8, 2016). "'My Blind Brother' Clip: See Adam Scott Punch A Biker". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. "My Blind Brother". sxsw.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. Setoodeh, Ramin (March 15, 2016). "SXSW: Adam Scott's 'My Blind Brother' Sells to Starz (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  8. "My Blind Brother (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. "My Blind Brother (2016)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. Barker, Andrew (March 14, 2016). "SXSW Film Review: 'My Blind Brother'". Variety.
  11. Kenigsberg, Ben. "Review: 'My Blind Brother', Who Is Also a Major Pain". The New York Times. p. C6.
  12. Keogh, Tom (September 22, 2016). "'My Blind Brother': a lightweight comedy of brotherly love-hate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  13. Samarov, Dmitry. "My Blind Brother". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  14. "My Blind Brother". Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  15. Hassenger, Jesse (September 22, 2016). "My Blind Brother offers a low-key Parks and Recreation reunion". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  16. DeFore, John (March 15, 2016). "'My Blind Brother': SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  17. "My Blind Brother: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. September 22, 2016.
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