'(Untitled)' lets its avant-garde down
Adam Goldberg as misunderstood musician Adrian. (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
(Untitled)
Running time: 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R (profanity, adult situations, nudity)
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When the movie title is "(Untitled)," there are only two possibilities.
Either the filmmakers are trying way too hard to be clever, or they just can't decide what to call the darn thing.
Both, I think, come into play in this quirky-to-a-fault offbeat comedy. Adam Goldberg, frowning as an intellectual sourpuss all the way, plays a brooding music composer whose avant-garde concerts involve blasts of music without harmony and kicking a bucket.
Sometimes the bucket is filled with water. And sometimes, but not quite often enough, "(Untitled")" serves up below-the-mainstream-radar fun.
Set in New York City's artsy Chelsea neighborhood, this deceivingly sweet (below the gloom anyway) comedy is essentially about finding one's true artistic soul. It is this scribe's duty to also mention that two artistic brothers, Adrian (Goldberg) and painter Josh (Eion Bailey, "Band of Brothers"), are constantly at odds.
Some of it has to do with the fact that Josh has little talent as a painter, but sells his abstract dot work like crazy to corporate clients eager to fill walls of hotels and office buildings. Adrian, on the other hand, is the long suffering talent no one understands. His own parents walk out of one of his sparsely attended concerts, for instance.
Josh makes the mistake of bringing lovely art gallery owner Madeleine (Marley Shelton of "A Perfect Getaway," "Grindhouse") to one of his brother's bucket-kicking concerts. To enhance the offbeat mood, director/co-writer Jonathan Parker's idea is for Madeleine to become intrigued -- business wise and otherwise -- by the other brother.
Adrian is smitten right away as well. He can't wait to get his hands on Madeleine's crackly leather skirt. Not so much for romantic reasons, but to record the crackling as his next hot quirky musical sound. Oh, what the heck, he's not about to skirt the the romantic angle either.
The drawback to "(Untitled)" is that most of the characters and especially Goldberg remain locked into over-played artsy gloom best described as the attitude of desperately depressed art gallery visitors in an old Woody Allen film:
"What are you doing on Wednesday," Woody asks a sad-faced young woman standing in front of a painting. "I'm killing myself on Wednesday," she replies. Woody's response: "How about Tuesday?"
Goldberg, who whined his way through "2 Days in Paris" a couple years back, is a gifted character actor who can explore gloom as well as any of his peers. He doesn't exactly fit the mold of a typical leading man, however. Not that a low budget endeavor such as this requires a marquee idol.
Eventually a movie of quirks also requires some sparks of chemistry to sustain the drollness, however. This one fails to deliver that element.
"(Untitled)" mires down in its own sameness; never quite managing that next step into rewarding entertainment.
Either the filmmakers are trying way too hard to be clever, or they just can't decide what to call the darn thing.
Both, I think, come into play in this quirky-to-a-fault offbeat comedy. Adam Goldberg, frowning as an intellectual sourpuss all the way, plays a brooding music composer whose avant-garde concerts involve blasts of music without harmony and kicking a bucket.
Sometimes the bucket is filled with water. And sometimes, but not quite often enough, "(Untitled")" serves up below-the-mainstream-radar fun.
Set in New York City's artsy Chelsea neighborhood, this deceivingly sweet (below the gloom anyway) comedy is essentially about finding one's true artistic soul. It is this scribe's duty to also mention that two artistic brothers, Adrian (Goldberg) and painter Josh (Eion Bailey, "Band of Brothers"), are constantly at odds.
Some of it has to do with the fact that Josh has little talent as a painter, but sells his abstract dot work like crazy to corporate clients eager to fill walls of hotels and office buildings. Adrian, on the other hand, is the long suffering talent no one understands. His own parents walk out of one of his sparsely attended concerts, for instance.
Josh makes the mistake of bringing lovely art gallery owner Madeleine (Marley Shelton of "A Perfect Getaway," "Grindhouse") to one of his brother's bucket-kicking concerts. To enhance the offbeat mood, director/co-writer Jonathan Parker's idea is for Madeleine to become intrigued -- business wise and otherwise -- by the other brother.
Adrian is smitten right away as well. He can't wait to get his hands on Madeleine's crackly leather skirt. Not so much for romantic reasons, but to record the crackling as his next hot quirky musical sound. Oh, what the heck, he's not about to skirt the the romantic angle either.
The drawback to "(Untitled)" is that most of the characters and especially Goldberg remain locked into over-played artsy gloom best described as the attitude of desperately depressed art gallery visitors in an old Woody Allen film:
"What are you doing on Wednesday," Woody asks a sad-faced young woman standing in front of a painting. "I'm killing myself on Wednesday," she replies. Woody's response: "How about Tuesday?"
Goldberg, who whined his way through "2 Days in Paris" a couple years back, is a gifted character actor who can explore gloom as well as any of his peers. He doesn't exactly fit the mold of a typical leading man, however. Not that a low budget endeavor such as this requires a marquee idol.
Eventually a movie of quirks also requires some sparks of chemistry to sustain the drollness, however. This one fails to deliver that element.
"(Untitled)" mires down in its own sameness; never quite managing that next step into rewarding entertainment.
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