DOUCHEBAG – Sundance Movie Review
Yesterday, I caught a screening for the movie DOUCHEBAG. This is another film for which I wasn’t really sure what to expect and found it enjoyable and kind of fun.
Douchebag tells the story of Sam Nussbaum (Andrew Dickler), a guy about to get married whose fiancée (Marguerite Moreau), decides to surprise him by going to pick up his brother Tom (Ben York Jones), whom he hasn’t seen in two years, so that he can come to their wedding taking place that week. Even though Sam is not too happy about Tom being around, he still takes the opportunity to go on a road trip with him to go and find Sam’s only love, his fifth-grade girlfriend. But it soon becomes apparent that Sam has ulterior motives for this trip.
When the movie started, I had no idea who the title was referring to, but it very soon became clear that Douchebag was one of the characters, but definitely not the one I was expecting. Turns out Sam is not as nice as you think at first. In one word, he’s a douchebag.
Most of the film is spent on the road trip between the brothers and the audience discovering more and more of Sam’s douchy personality. There are definitely a lot of funny moments, which makes Sam sort of bearable. Even though you kind of hate him at times, he does make you laugh with his hypocrisy and attitude.
This is Andrew Dickler’s first role (he is originally an editor and this is his first acting job) and I honestly wouldn’t have guessed. He does a really great job playing Sam, that he puts to shame a lot of trained actors.
Tom is played by Ben York Jones, who also does a real great job of coming off as a really genuine character and the total opposite of Sam.
The dynamic between the two characters was really interesting, especially because during most of the film we do not know why they haven’t talked in two years (that is revealed close to the end).
I also want to mention Marguerite Moreau, who plays Sam’s fiancée, because I thought she was so damn adorable. I have seen her in quite a few movies/tv shows before, but I feel this was very different from what I have usually seen her in, not necessarily better or worse, but different, and I liked it.
The only complaint I have is that the film was a little too short, only 81 minutes, which made the whole ending feel a little bit rushed. It felt the evolution of the characters happened a little too quickly and was unbelievable. I wish the writer/director Drake Doremus had taken time to explore that a bit more.
Overall, Douchebag is a fun film, it’s not the best movie I have ever seen, but it’s enjoyable. So if it sounds like something you might like, why not give it a shot.
