Screened as part of NZIFF 2017

Brigsby Bear 2017

Directed by Dave McCary

This weird and wonderful indie comedy stars Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney as a man totally obsessed with a TV show about a bear saving the world. Also starring Greg Kinnear, Mark Hamill, Claire Danes.

USA In English
98 minutes DCP

Rent

Director

Producers

Andy Samberg
,
Jorma Taccone
,
Akiva Schaffer
,
Billy Rosenberg
,
Phil Lord
,
Christopher Miller
,
Will Allegra
,
Mark Roberts
,
Al Di

Screenplay

Kevin Costello
,
Kyle Mooney

Photography

Christian Sprenger

Editor

Jacob Craycroft

Production designer

Brandon Tonner-Connolly

Costume designer

Sarah Mae Burton

Music

David Wingo

With

Kyle Mooney (James Pope)
,
Greg Kinnear (Detective Vogel)
,
Matt Walsh (Greg Pope)
,
Michaela Watkins (Louise Pope)
,
Mark Hamill (Ted Hope)
,
Ryan Simpkins (Aubrey Pope)
,
Jorge Lendeborg Jr (Spencer)
,
Claire Danes (Clare)
,
Jane Adams (April)
,
Kate Lyn Sheil (Arielle Smiles)
,
Alexa Demie (Meredith)
,
Beck Bennett (Detective Bander)
,
Andy Samberg (Eric)

Festivals

Sundance
,
Cannes (Critics’ Week)
,
Sydney 2017

In this inventive, Gondry-esque comedy, Saturday Night Live’s earnest goofball Kyle Mooney is a man obsessed by the only TV show he’s ever seen, a little-known series about a magic bear saving the world.

James (Mooney) has lived in a bunker for 25 years. His only contact is with his parents (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams), and his only source of external stimulation is the 80s-style ‘Brigsby Bear Adventures’, delivered weekly on VHS cassettes for as long as he can remember. James is probably the world’s most intense student of the Brigsby mythos, though his indulgent parents still outdo him on the finer points of the Bear’s ethical code. (“Prophecy is meaningless. Trust only your familial unit.” )

When James has to leave his bunker and meet other people, he loses access to new episodes. The solution to this emergency celebrates the sweet fellowship in extreme fan culture, and the liberating power of sheer silliness with the conviction of the true believer.

Brigsby Bear starts with an outstanding ‘what if?’ It follows through with fantastic characters and funny set-pieces, building to a warm and admittedly fabulist conclusion...

Brigsby Bear’s strongest asset (well, after the gobs of in-universe verbiage that come spilling from James’ mouth) is Kyle Mooney’s extraordinary performance... To hang around James and soak up some of his positivity (even if it is a little unclear if he knows what’ s going on half the time) is a joy.” — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair