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List Price: $19.99 | | Label: TLA
Salesrank: 28327
Released: July 19, 2005 |
| Our Price: $12.86 |
| Used Price: $9.46 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
From Christopher Munch, the director of The Hours and Times, comes this unforgettable tale of intense brotherly love. Harry (Bryce Johnson) is a 23-year-old former boy-band idol who is watching his 16-year-old brother Max (Cole Williams of Boys Life 4) follow in his footsteps. Harry escorts Max on a long-promised camping trip to Los Angeles' San Gabriel Mountains. What starts out as fun quickly turns serious as they bond in ways that neither could have anticipated. Artful and provocative, sexy and controversial, Harry and Max proves that the road to adulthood is never a straight line.
Harry and Max Reviews:
Twenty-four Hours from Tulsa 
2008-06-05 - I was really looking forward to seeing this movie but was, frankly, disappointed. I didn't object to the subject matter, and I didn't mind the way the producers shied away from a frank depiction of what the two brothers might get up to in bed. I enjoyed the performances, especially those of Cole Williams (as Amos Lassen mentioned--he is Paul Williams' son, and more or less a ringer for him) and Bryce Johnson (who is paired again with Tom Gilroy and director Munch, this time as editor, in "The Bluetooth Virgin"), and it was good to see Rain Phoenix in a rather substantive role, although she did seem a bit old for either brother. No, I was disappointed because the film is by Christopher Munch, the director of "Sleepy Time Gal" and, most importantly, "The Hours and Times," one of the best films ever to deal with the themes of sex ('60s style), celebrity, and the Beatles. That film also dealt with a road trip, as well as with two young men discovering new aspects of their sexuality, but in that case the characters were based on two real-life celebrities: John Lennon and Brian Epstein. I'm not sure why Munch chose to portray Harry and Max as teen idols; perhaps in a homage to his earlier film. But it's a buzzkill here. It's hard to care what happens to two characters who are more reminiscent of the Hanson brothers (for those of you who are too young to remember, Hanson was a pop group from Tulsa that fluttered teenage hearts in a series of videos in the 1990s) than of the Beatles. One minute Max is putting the moves on Harry, the next it's Harry putting the moves on Max. They have apparently connected sometime in the past, but their relationship is going nowhere now, and neither is this film. Too bad, because the actors are obviously game. I did like the tent scenes at the beginning, and I thought we might be in for a variation on "Brokeback Mountain" (which was not released until the following year), but Munch never lets his audience into the tent, so to speak, and we are left with a puzzle of a relationship that, frankly, isn't worth the unraveling.
(insert stupid pun based on the name "Max" here)
2007-08-27 - Well, this is far from the best movie I've ever seen, but it certainly is not the worst. Not while the steaming pile that is the American version of "Godzilla" (aka: "101 Ways to Not Make a Good Movie") is still polluting the world.
This movie, as you know by now, is about a pair of male teen idol pop stars. One of them, Max, is clearly basically gay and knows it, the other is probably gay and still figuring it out. The brothers are both in love with each other to a great extent, and have on occasion had sex with one other.
Needless to say, complications arise from this.
The acting by both the leads is quite good, particularly Cole Williams, who looks quite tasty as a blond (especially when making out with Bryce Johnson and especially with his shirt gone). The dialogue is a little stilted, and in some ways felt more like a play than a movie. Also, I could have done without the awkward threesome attempt towards the end of the movie, though the final coda was good.
What keeps this movie from better than three stars? Well, it was short (74 minutes), the diaglogue was, as mentioned, a little stilted, and then there's the coda. Plus the price I paid was a little steep for such a short film, though the extras are alright.
Beyond that... something seemed to be faintly off with the film. I'm not sure what. It seemed like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a comedy or a drama or both. Admitedly, there are those who say it's hard to play sibling incest for laughs, but I say they just haven't tried.
Still, despite the flaws, the movie was good and worth watching. If, like me, you have a thing for the idea of brothers together, this should be right up your alley... as it were...
Brotherly Love 
2007-03-26 - "Harry and Max"
Brotherly Love
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
There has been a great deal said about "Harry and Max" (TLA Releasing) because of its controversial story line--two brothers in love---but I want to add my opinion to some of the issues raised. Let me start off by saying that the movie is not bad and it is not good but it could have been either. Harry is Max's brother and seven years his senior and both boys are involved with music. On a camping trip to the mountains the two discuss their feelings and this is exactly what the movie is about--dealing with feelings and self acceptance. The two brothers are in love and do not know how to deal with it.
The film is intense--deeply so and it is extremely insightful as it looks at fraternal love and romance and the limits we place on ourselves and the ones we ultimately meet. It is a small film and one that I am amazed was ever made. The main theme of brotherly incestuous love never seems to be completely fulfilled and I found myself with many questions after watching the movie.
Bryce Johnson is Harry and Cole Williams is Max. (Remember Paul Williams who wrote all those songs for the Carpenters? Cole is his son.) They are totally engaging but hard to believe as brothers in love even though they are quite good actors. What we see s indeed thought provoking. Max admits freely that he is gay and he does not hide that he loves Harry, his brother--both romantically and fraternally. It appears that Harry feels the same way but knows that this is wrong. He cannot bring himself to commit--neither brother really can.
Through various attempts to have sexual relations with other people, the guys remain in love with each other but the results prove disastrous for them and whatever the message of this movie seems to be, it is lost because the script wanders and does not really face the issue head on. Much of the movie is realistic but the problem here is that references are made to incidents in the brothers' past that we, as viewers, are not let into. References are vague and the only hint that we see fulfilled is a time when the guys actually made love while on vacation. Yet much of the background information is not included in the film and many times we are left hanging. The one issue that bothered me the most was to watch how hard Max pushed to maintain a relationship with his brother yet finds another male lover with whom he is completely satisfied.
This is a very different kind of movie as it looks at love and affection in a way most of us are uncomfortable with. But on the plus side I must say that the chemistry between the actors is wonderful and the subject of incest is compelling and convincing. There are problems with continuity in the film and it depends a little too much on narration and not enough on action. The final sequence is not only disappointing but it just doesn't seem to fit.
The movie is not just about brotherly incest. It looks at a relationship that is more extensive than incest and this relationship portrays the contradictions and complexities of most familial relationships. Harry and Max have a mysterious relationship; we do not see them as friends and their connection, although somewhat strong sexually, is delicate otherwise.
The main action takes place when the two boys set out on their camping trip and Harry is twenty-three and Max is sixteen. The bond between the two had always been close and there had once been incestuous sex. Max wants it to happen again but Harry refuses and frustration ensues. The real irony here is that Max, the younger, is the more focused and responsible brother and Harry, the workaholic and once alcoholic, is deceitful and reckless.
The script for the movie is intelligent and clever even with the pronounced omissions and I loved the performances. The ending, again, does not satisfy and takes us by surprise. But the final scene does show the evolving nature of love and how we must constantly re-evaluate the definition. The movie, all in all, is touching and while it is not the movie it could have been is an effort not likely forgotten.
It's Hard to Believe I Watched It All 
2007-03-07 - Controversial story line does not make up for bad writing. It did have a great idea behind it, but the below-par acting and horrible plot destroy any hopes for in-depth analysis of the characters and situation.
Please pass this one by....there are much better ones out there.
A Different Spin on "Brotherly Love"
2006-12-01 - Harry and Max wasn't a bad movie, it just wasn't very good either. Harry is Max's older brother, by about 7 years. Both boys are in the music business, although that aspect of the movie is barely touched upon.
The 2 meet up, the viewer assumes after several years apart, and take off for a camping trip in the mountains. Quickly out from the cold and into a tent they go. Max quickly and clearly makes his love for his older brother Harry known. The 2 discuss their first encounter about 2 years earlier, in I believe the Bahamas, or Bermuda. It doesn't matter where, but we hear about it a few times.
Over 60 minutes later, and we have met a few friends, an older lover / friend Max once had, and their mother. Other then Harry and Max, all the other parts are minor ones. The focus in the movie is 2 guys dealing with sexual feelings for each other, both sort of afraid of coming out completely. And needless to say, the "taboo" of being brothers in love. If the story was really captivating, then we might be inclined to strike up a conversation on that topic. In comparison, also watch "L.I.E." or "Eban and Charley" if you want some controversy. Harry and Max is a bit too clean-cut, and kind of boring.
With but 10 minutes left in the film, we jump several calendar years, and several light years in the story ahead. The end is so disconnected from the first hour of the film, one is left going "huh, where the heck did this come from?"
All that said, the characters are good, the filming and sound are excellent for what appears to be a low-budget film. But I've seen many a low-budget film, and this one lacked the story line to keep me involved. The acting and direction just missed the mark. I couldn't connect with the characters on a deeper level. Certainly the angst Max feels about being gay is very real for a 16 year old coming of age, and in the spotlight, although, once again, we never really saw either of them in the spotlight. I found Max's character the strongest in the film, for the most part. Harry was a bit out there at times.
I reiterrate, it wasn't a bad film, and I would never say "don't see it"; just don't expect to feel moved by emotion, happy or sad. I laughed a few times, but I don't think that was intended in the movie.
On a plus note, the DVD has a nice behind-the-scenes film, which makes me (the reviewer) feel bad about not being able to give the film a better rating. But I prefer honesty.
