Brian and Charles Film Review

I have to say that I just loved this movie. I can’t help it, but I’m crazy about it. I think you will be, too. ​

The title and poster draw you in. You first see a man sitting on a couch with a robot next to him, as if everything is just as it should be. Something is intriguing about it. “Brian and Charles” is odd but charming, offbeat yet extraordinarily so.
I’ll be honest, I don’t believe it’s going to be a big Oscar winner, but this movie is one that you’ll remember most and the one you’ll be talking about for years to come. Along with the image, its perfectly normal title conjures a vision of two very close people. Brian is the man. Charles is the robot. The choice for the man to be given a more common name and the robot a more formal name works to prepare you for something unique. When you learn who they are, pieces of the puzzle start to move about and you begin to form a picture, something the film, in its mockumentary style, allows you to do.

A documentary crew talks to Brian about his life, finding that he’s pretty reclusive. The reason he’s chosen as the subject is peculiar, but thankfully, he was, or we wouldn’t have learned about Charles. Brian is a loner and a bit of an outcast in his small town, but he’s so eccentric that everyone knows who he is. He invents things that no one buys as they don’t typically work. He seems to have no friends or family in his life.
Like in the movie “Cast Away,” Charles is Brian’s “Wilson” to Tom Hanks. Having no one may have gotten him by before, but not these days. He needs a companion. He needs someone to talk to, someone to care for him. He’d also like an extra pair of hands about the place, even though he believes wanting that in his life is being greedy.
Charles came about when Brian found the discarded head of a mannequin. The head, some spare parts, and some creativity on his part ultimately give Brian a son to look after.
Overnight, Charles reads the dictionary. Like a parent-to-child, Brian has to teach Charles not to take the dictionary, or anything else, as a matter of fact, quite so literally. The things he says and how he speaks are where a lot of the comedy comes from.

Charles continues to digest and absorb the world around him and he assimilates much as the way Brian finally does. Brian actually meets a girl, something he never dreamed of doing before.
At the same time, Charles wants more dependence. He wants to see what’s beyond the property’s fence he feels trapped behind. He doesn’t want to sit in the room and just “rust away.”
“Brian and Charles” is intelligent humor and is very sweet. Still, it’s also a dismal glimpse into a lonely man’s life… until it’s not. With the help of Charles (his own creation), we get to watch Brian evolve into an individual who no longer needs the device in his life. That’s what’s so beautiful about this story and what makes it a must-see. Enjoy!

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

#BrianAndCharles