Harry + Max (2004) Reviews

• Intriguing but not completely fulfilling

  JThomas-22005-11-22

  Harry and Max is an odd little film. It's a film that, quite frankly, I'm surprised any American director/producer/film company/actor would tackle. It's a film that has brotherly incest as an active thread running through it. The trouble is, the incest angle really isn't reason enough for the film - there needs to be another, stronger plot around which to build the film. Bryce Johnson as Harry and Cole Williams (singer/songwriter/actor Paul Williams' son) as Max are not only engaging and believable as brothers, but downright talented actors. You can see the wheels turning in Max's head as he mulls things over and over. Harry, a burgeoning alcoholic, seems sufficiently numbed to reality. There is no deficiency when it comes to the acting ability of this cast of quite surprisingly fine actors. Rain Phoenix (River and Joachin's little sister) is believable as the boys' friend/lover and Michelle Phillips does a believable job as the pushy/b*t*hy stage mom. What is on the screen is thoughtful and thought provoking. My problem with the film stems from what ISN'T on the screen. The film is about 23 year old Harry (a boy band pop idol with a waning popularity) and 16 year old Max (an up and coming boy band pop idol). Harry lives in New York and Max lives at home with their mother - a woman with whom Harry does not get along. Where Dad is, is anyone's guess. Max freely acknowledges that he is gay. Further, to Harry, he freely acknowledges that he loves his brother Harry, but in a romantic sense as well as a brotherly sense. We can tell that Harry feels the same, but on some level knows that it is wrong. (He allows Max to have oral sex with him, but doesn't encourage it) Max is so young that he doesn't really care. Max wants Harry and he's fairly blatant about that. Harry wants Max (he masturbates looking at publicity pictures of Max in a teen magazine), but can't bring himself to commit - instead he seduces the 40 year old former yoga instructor who slept with Max several years earlier. It would seem Harry wants to learn how this older man managed to create a "connection" with Max that he, himself, seems unable to develop...or is it simply that he doesn't want to be one upped by his little brother and he wants to know just what it was that Max experienced with this man? Max tries the straight side and sleeps with Nikki (Rain Phoenix), Harry's former girlfriend. After this happens, for some reason, Harry feels the need to divulge to Nikki that he and Max have previously been lovers. Why? To what end? Max is able to move on with his life, but Harry seems destined to pine after his little brother and drift further and further into alcoholism. What's the message of the movie? Is there supposed to be a message? Frankly, it doesn't need a message, but since the script is somewhat fragmented, it seems to be trying to provide us with a message. Now, don't get me wrong, I liked the movie just fine. However, it irritated the devil out of me, because the very realistic conversations between Harry and Max never fully delivered the complete message to me, the viewer. While realistic, in that the two of them reference incidents in their past, we, the audience are never privy to those incidents. They are only vaguely referred to - as two people who share the same past would quite believably do. However, WE don't know what happened. There should have been a flashback sequence (however brief) of the often alluded to incident in Bermuda where the boys initially consummated their incestuous relationship. What's the background situation with Harry and Roxanne, his New York girlfriend? A couple more lines of dialogue could have cleared this up. Why did Harry dump Nikki? A couple more lines of dialogue could have cleared this up too. We just know it ended. In the beginning, we have no reason or reference to understand that Harry and Max are in the music industry. They do not feel compelled to sing or play music. If Harry is as driven as Max says, and Harry is writing his own music, then wouldn't he have at least dragged along a guitar on their weekend camping trip? In the last scene of the film, we are to believe that Max has not only moved on with his life in the music industry, but he has found a male lover with whom he is completely satisfied. From a psychological standpoint, this out of character. He initiated the relationship with his brother and pushed for it to go further, time and again. Harry also wanted the relationship, but just didn't know how to allow himself to "be there". Harry is now the one pining for Max and now Max is completely rebuffing him and confidently so. Moreso, Max seems somewhat disgusted by his older brother. I don't think this is fitting with the character. This is a short film by feature length standards. I would love to have had about fifteen more minutes of expositional material that could have more fully developed the situations and characters. Learning about the character's background only via the DVD jewel box is not the best way to introduce the audience to them.

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• Behavior as old as man and woman...............

  arizona-philm-phan2005-07-28

  (PLEASE NOTE THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON MORE THAN ONE VIEWING OF THE FILM) (1) While 'good attempt' is an acceptable way in which to describe this film, there are definitely three words which better describe it: HONEST......FOOLISH......BRAVE. All three adjectives apply to the producers/director, but most certainly they apply to the two male leads (their futures in film likely are not now as assured as they might otherwise have been prior to undertaking these particular roles.....despite relatively accomplished performances). Also, it's important to say of this work that, while instances of incest have occurred in earlier films of various genres, this reviewer is unaware of any film script which has been as open or blatant in picturing such an ancient taboo (however, see paragraph 3, below). (2) Much of the reaction to this film will, undoubtedly, be one of abhorrence. Yet can there be any question that the type of sibling love and sexual behavior exhibited here has occurred countless times throughout human history (whether there are those who like thinking so, or not). And whether that's been brother to brother, or sister to sister, it is behavior which has occurred, sometimes as a one-time or an infrequent event, other times most certainly for life. (At least it's not a behavior which can be claimed to "muddy the gene pool", such as a brother/sister relationship might). But (and here's a vital point) in incest, as in most homosexual events, at the end we are left with the question of who will admit to it. Surely we must all see that, throughout time, those who've railed the loudest, and behaved the most indignantly regarding homosexual behavior, very often were and are those who earlier on in their lives either took part in such behavior or possessed such feelings. Strong societal "norms", of course, force these individuals to, later on, express repellent feelings when confronted with such sexual behavior. Possibly, but perhaps in a much lesser number of instances, this might be just as true of incest behavior. (3) To be completely objective about this film, there is, indeed, a fourth word which needs be applied to the work: FUDGED. Viewers will note that on several occasions the scriptwriters/director have "pulled back" from showing more complete scenes of the physical love that could have been expected to be taking place between these two brothers (how often did you, the viewer, see one or other pull back from physically responding when you knew that, in real life, there likely would have been no hesitation?). In other words, while it wouldn't have been necessary to go into porn mode, there were a number of instances of "talking the talk" but very little in the way of "walking the walk." In fact it might be said that there was more "directness" of physical behavior in the much more secondary relationship scene, involving Harry and a former Yoga instructor of Max's, than there was between the two leads. Too bad, for Harry and Max were really what this movie was supposed to be all about. (NOTE that, in the Director/Leading Performers Commentary track for this film on DVD, the issue of there not being more sexual follow-through is 'spoken at' but never actually 'addressed' ---although actor, Cole Williams, does express his surprise that there had always seemed to be a "pulling back" from these activities, once they'd started) (4) In the end and at the very least, however, this film has to be recognized as a "start" at being more open in showing and describing a behavior that is as old as man and woman.

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• An Intelligent, Well Written Controversial Film

  gradyharp2005-07-23

  HARRY AND MAX goes where films have dared (at least American films): consensual incestuous relationships between two brothers. Writer/director Christopher Münch ('The Sleepy Time Gal', 'The Hours and Times', 'Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day') has previously proved that he is unafraid to take on tough subject matter and make it poetically beautiful. In HARRY AND MAX he has created an intelligent reverie about hopes, dreams, expectations, disappointments, and filial love that is as fascinating as it is unique. Max (Cole Williams) is a 16-year-old teen idol whose career is managed by his mother (Michelle Phillips). His 23-year-old brother Harry (Bryce Johnson) began the family trend toward teen band idols and now is living on his past glories in music trips to the still-adoring masses in Japan while he sinks into alcoholism. Max longs for companionship and more with Harry and as the film opens we find them on a long-awaited camping trip in California's San Gabriel mountains, exploring the old Mt Lowe Railway. Their similarities and differences unfold in natural, unforced conversation and when night falls and they retire to their tent, Max makes physical overtures to Harry, overtures Harry does not resist. It is clear through occult references to a family outing in Bermuda that the two have had intimate relations but the details are intentionally left foggy. For the remainder of the weekend trip the two brothers confide their family problems (Harry never felt as accepted as Max and left home early on), Max's gay affair with 40-year-old Josiah (Tom Gilroy), Harry's current affair with Roxanne (Roni Deitz) and his mishandled affair with Nikki (Rain Phoenix), a girl who subsequently married and divorced and is now a close friend with Max. Once the inherent tensions are blocked out, the two brothers explore the current paramours of the other: Harry seduces Josiah, Max attempts to seduce Nikki, and the secret of the brothers' incestuous relationship becomes open knowledge. Harry truly loves Max and Max returns that love but feels Harry must find his own life without leaning on Max's new idol popularity. The final solutions are unveiled in a time jump two years later when Harry and Max and Max's lover Jordan (Justin Zachary) meet in a conversation that more fully explains the differences and similarities between the two brothers. Christopher Münch keeps the story rolling with casual precision, using effective sun-drenched flashbacks to illuminate the boys' childhood. He has garnered fine performances from his cast: Cole Williams and Bryce Johnson are superb and cameo roles by Michelle Phillips, Justin Zachary, and Tom Gilroy are first rate. The only weak link is Rain Phoenix who mimes her way through the pivotal role of Nikki, reducing the tension when it should be building. The sexual scenes are handled with utmost sophistication, sensual without being graphic. In all, this is a terrific little film, small in budget and technique but enormous in thought and impact. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

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• Is it incest when two brothers do it?

  alanjj2004-06-13

  I never had a brother, but I always wondered, if I had a brother and my brother was hot, or cute, or handsome, what would stop me from having sex with him? There's no chance of having a child. What is wrong? Where is the danger? This movie takes that notion pretty far. Two brother, both in the music business. At first, the younger brother lusts after the older one, but the older one doesn't allow it to go too far. Then the older brother, after being revealed as an alcoholic, and after masturbating to his younger brother's picture in a magazine, changes his mind, and pursues the younger bro. But now the young one resists, rebels, says no. The young one is remeniscent of Zak Hanson; the older is like one of those Backstreet Boys. Both are desirable, and the movie his hot. And it's in the hands of a really good, refined director, Christopher Munch, who knows how to photograph a movie in scenic locales, and can handle the mood music. The topic may be a bit shocking, but the movie works really well.

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• Best and Most Controversial Film At Sundance 04

  boypan2004-12-04

  I couldn't believe this film when I saw it. I was so shocked and entertained at the same time. At first I couldn't believe it was really a story about incest but then I got what the film was doing and I couldn't stop watching. Totally inventive and fresh. And, yes it really p***ed folks off. Keep in mind the subject matter is very controversial and will make you think long after you walk out of the theater (Thank God!). The film is due out 2005 with a theatrical release (if you live in big cities, if you don't then you should move) and will be followed with a DVD/home video run. I can't wait to see how this film affects audiences. Chris' work has always been gorgeous and thoughtful and amazingly produced. This is probably his best work to date.

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