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Dean: Worthy First Effort From Demitri Martin

June 20, 2017
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If you don’t follow the comedy circuit closely, you may not have heard of Dimitri Martin (Live “At The Time” – Netfilx Streaming), but he’s a funny guy with an off-beat and wry sense of humor.  His first film (which he wrote, directs, and stars in), “Dean,” has just been released.  Robin and I both found it a funny, real, and, at times, touching movie that we enjoyed throughout.

Dean (Dimitri), an only child, has just lost his mother.  His father, Robert (Kevin Kline), is an engineer who approaches her death as “a problem to be solved” while Dean, a cartoonist, is trying to avoid dealing with it at all.  (The film has somewhat of an autobiographical basis, since Demitri lost his father.)  Robert wants to sell the house and “move forward,” since everything there reminds him of his wife, but Dean is opposed.  Robert still decides to list the house, causing a conflict between himself and Dean.

Despite his grief, Robert finds himself attracted to the real estate agent, Carol (Mary Steenburgen).  Dean is having a writer’s block with his cartoons for his second book and he is late on his deadline from the publisher.  Angry at his father, Dean abandons him and flies off to L.A. to hang out with his close friend, Eric (Rory Scovel).  At a party, Dean meets Nicky (Gillian Jacobs – “Don’t Think Twice”).  How Dean and Robert cope with their loss is the essence of the film.

Despite the film’s subject matter, the movie is often very funny and touching.  The numerous cartoons sprinkled throughout, created by Martin, add a humorous dimension which elevates the film.  I also thought the soundtrack was terrific, with very good songs that I had never heard before.  I doubt Martin will turn out to be the second coming of Woody Allen (an obvious influence), but I am eagerly looking forward to his next film.

If you don't follow the comedy circuit closely, you may not have heard of Dimitri Martin (Live "At The Time" - Netfilx Streaming), but he's a funny guy with an off-beat and wry sense of humor.  His first film (which he wrote, directs, and stars in), "Dean," has just been released.  Robin and I both found it a funny, real, and, at times, touching movie that we enjoyed throughout. Dean (Dimitri), an only child, has just lost his mother.  His father, Robert (Kevin Kline), is an engineer who approaches her death as "a problem to be solved" while Dean, a cartoonist, is trying to avoid dealing with it at all.  (The film has somewhat of an autobiographical basis, since Demitri lost his father.)  Robert wants to sell the house and "move forward," since everything there reminds him of his wife, but Dean is opposed.  Robert still decides to list the house, causing a conflict between himself and Dean. Despite his grief, Robert finds himself attracted to the real estate agent, Carol (Mary Steenburgen).  Dean is having a writer's block with his cartoons for his second book and he is late on his deadline from the publisher.  Angry at his father, Dean abandons him and flies off to L.A. to hang out with his close friend, Eric (Rory Scovel).  At a party, Dean meets Nicky (Gillian Jacobs - "Don't Think Twice").  How Dean and Robert cope with their loss is the essence of the film. Despite the film's subject matter, the movie is often very funny and touching.  The numerous cartoons sprinkled throughout, created by Martin, add a humorous dimension which elevates the film.  I also thought the soundtrack was terrific, with very good songs that I had never heard before.  I doubt Martin will turn out to be the second coming of Woody Allen (an obvious influence), but I am eagerly looking forward to his next film.

8

Some Very Funny Scenes

Humorous and Warm-Hearted Film!
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8

I have loved the movies ever since I saw “The Wizard of Oz” as a young boy. When Beatle-mania hit the USA, Rock-N-Roll was my greatest passion, but I haven’t enjoyed the current music scene nearly as much over the past 15 years, so that void has been filled by film. In college and med school, I would see movies with my friends and we would stay up late into the night chatting about them. I still love seeing movies with friends and then having dinner to discuss them. This blog evolved out of my desire to tell my movie-loving friends about movies I thought they would enjoy. The blog allows me to do this in a fun way and to reach movie fans everywhere.

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