The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)

Directors:

Jay Duplass
Mark Duplass

Writers (WGA):

Jay Duplass (written by) &
Mark Duplass (written by)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Two brothers compete in their own private 25-event Olympics. |

Plot Keywords:

Olympics | Ping Pong | Brother Brother Relationship | Pentathlon

Cast

Mark Kelly	...	Jeremy
Steve Zissis	...	Mark
Jennifer Lafleur	...	Stephanie
Julie Vorus	...	Alice
Brendan Robinson	...	Young Mark
Noël Wells	...	Stripper
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ricky Dillard	...	Laser Tag employee
Elton LeBlanc	...	Poker Player
Alex Lipschultz	...	Poker Player
John Melvin	...	Race Announcer
Brett Patron	...	Poker Player
Jordan Stidham	...	Young Jeremy
Reid Williams	...	Hunter
Jon Dainty	...	Race Spectator (uncredited)
Martyn Hale	...	Young Jeremy age 16 (uncredited)
Johanna Igel	...	Kate (uncredited)
Brock Patrick Kaufman	...	Young Jeremy age 10 (uncredited)
Laurie Lee	...	Race Spectator (uncredited)
Codie Scott	...	Poker Player (uncredited)
Terry Lee Smith	...	Poker Player (uncredited)

Directed by
Jay Duplass
Mark Duplass

Writing credits (WGA)
Jay Duplass		(written by) &
Mark Duplass		(written by)

Produced by
Jay Duplass	....	producer
Mark Duplass	....	producer
Stephanie Langhoff	....	producer
J.M. Logan	....	associate producer
Ross Partridge	....	co-producer
Josh Polon	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Julian Wass

Cinematography by
Jas Shelton

Film Editing by
Jay Deuby
Nat Sanders

Costume Design by
Ross Partridge
Marguerite Phillips

Makeup Department
Marguerite Phillips	....	makeup artist

Production Management
J.M. Logan	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ross Partridge	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ross Partridge	....	set designer
Marguerite Phillips	....	set designer

Sound Department
John Chalfant	....	sound supervisor & re-recording mixer
Elyse Lamonde	....	foley editor
Alex Lipschultz	....	sound mixer
Xander Lott	....	sound effects editor
David Mann	....	foley artist
David Mann	....	foley editor
David Mann	....	sound effects editor
Erin Oakley	....	dialogue editor
Laura Smith	....	sound assistant
John Soukup	....	sound transfer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tod Campbell	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Tom Clancey	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Jay Duplass	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Sasha Freedman	....	camera operator: "c" camera
Sean Hackett	....	camera assistant
Ross Partridge	....	still photographer
Tom Clancey	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Philip Beckner	....	digital intermediate editor (as Phil Beckner)
John Daro	....	digital intermediate artist
Jon Fletcher	....	associate editor
Paul Lavoie	....	digital intermediate producer
Jeff Man	....	editorial production assistant
Gus Comegys	....	digital intermediate conform artist (uncredited)

Music Department
Marguerite Phillips	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Teddy Blanks	....	title designer
Stephen Ledet	....	key set production assistant (as Stephen 'Darkness' Ledet)
Ginny Zissis	....	caterer

Thanks
Katie Aselton	....	the producers wish to thank (as Katie Aselton Duplass)
Larry Blake	....	the producers wish to thank
Eddie Boettner	....	the producers wish to thank
Rebekah Sean Conroy	....	the producers wish to thank
Warren Dern	....	the producers wish to thank
Tristan Rappold Dupepe	....	the producers wish to thank
Cindy Duplass	....	the producers wish to thank
Jen Tracy Duplass	....	the producers wish to thank
Larry Duplass	....	the producers wish to thank
Lisa Fitzpatrick	....	the producers wish to thank
Tave Fitzpatrick	....	the producers wish to thank
Sean Hackett	....	the producers wish to thank
Julie Keller	....	the producers wish to thank
Boo Langhoff	....	the producers wish to thank
Janice Langhoff	....	the producers wish to thank
Muriel Langhoff	....	the producers wish to thank
John Melvin	....	the producers wish to thank
Chris Ohlson	....	the producers wish to thank
Jeffrey Peterman	....	the producers wish to thank
Cara Singleton	....	the producers wish to thank
Elaine Stevens	....	the producers wish to thank
Shelby Weiser	....	the producers wish to thank
Joanne Wiles	....	the producers wish to thank
Ginny Zissis	....	the producers wish to thank

Production Companies

• Duplass Brothers Productions

Distributors

• Red Flag Releasing (RFR) (2012) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2012) (USA) (all media) (ancillary)

Other Companies

• American Entertainment Insurance Services  E&O insurance
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Four Ears Music  music supervision

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

USA:76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

Duplass Brothers Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Maltin on Movies: Ice Age: Continental Drift (#1.81)" (2012)

Duplass Brothers are still experts at family dysfunction without any star power

Jay and Mark Duplass get back to their really, really indie roots with "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon," a low-budget comedy centered on the competitive tension between brothers. It's not exactly new territory for the mumblecore kings, but it shows they can still be effective filmmakers with a basic story and even more basic production quality.

Just as they did with "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" the year prior, the Duplasses further exploit the idea that siblings, especially brothers close in age, never stop competing, or in the case of characters Mark (Steve Zissis) and Jeremy (Mark Kelly), never stop holding grudges that assure sibling rivalry endures.

Mark, his wife Stephanie (Jennifer Lafleur) and son Hunter (Reid Williams) visit Mark's mother (Julie Vorus) for his birthday, but only after they've been assured that his estranged brother Jeremy, a transient professional poker player, won't be there. But Jeremy figures it out, arriving just in time to provoke his brother into racing him in the town's annual 5K run. Jeremy's presence brings out the worst in Mark, whose doctors have told him to take it easy, but instead of listening to his wife, Mark and Jeremy secretly agree to reignite a competition they held in their teens called the Do-Deca-Pentathlon, a series of 25 physical events that ultimately determines the better brother, a tournament that ended in controversy about 20 years ago.

In the hands of a Hollywood-hired screenwriter, this would be a physical comedy in which the winner would probably be determined in the final event, with history repeating itself in some way just before it all ends, but if you know the Duplass Brothers, you're not going to get that formula at all. They're experts at setting up situational comedy potential and then ignoring it, focusing instead on the relationship dynamics that arise from would-be shenanigans.

You'll immediately notice "Do-Deca" features no stars or even slightly known quantities, and the sound quality is unusually poor. Considering this comes from the guys who made the aforementioned "Jeff" as well as "Cyrus" starring Jonah Hill, John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei, you have to assume the choice to strip everything down was intentional, because the money/equipment and interest from big actors would have been there if they wanted it. Consequently, you feel like you're watching real people dealing with a real conflict, even if most grown-up brothers wouldn't engage in such childish antics.

The acting quality doesn't take much of a hit in spite of the no-name cast. It does, however, take a bit of time for the authenticity of the performances to kick in. Zissis and Kelly do an excellent job in the film's home stretch, balancing characters with animalistic, childish instincts who also possess adult-like emotions and insights as evidenced by the final half hour of the movie. Sure, it would be tough for anyone to take their antics too seriously, but the montage that depicts their afternoon of competing doesn't entirely spoil the moments when the script strives for some emotional depth.

Zissis' Mark is a definite balancing act as he endures a really wild ride for such a short movie. He starts out as the voice of reason, the man who cannot be provoked by his bachelor brother, and then he loses total control. He becomes blinded by a lust for competition and ends up taking it way too seriously.

The Duplasses help ground Mark through his relationship with his wife. He lies to Stephanie because he knows he'll never get her approval and support in awakening the competitive beast inside of him, so like men often do, he refuses to confront her about it and tries to work around her even though it's painfully obvious no one in this movie is pulling wool over anyone's eyes. It's tough to understand how Mark could be so caught up in the Do-Deca that he can't see what was important to him just a couple days ago, but the film strikes enough of a realistic nerve to avoid falling apart.

Although the film deserves praise for being so anti-formula, you can't help but feel a bit cheated by the lack of attention given to the tournament. It could've felt a little more vital to the movie than it ends up being without getting too cliché. That said, "Do-Deca" boasts the best laser tag scene ever committed to film.

"The Do-Deca-Pentathlon" proves that without a single layer of glitz, Jay and Mark Duplass can capture family relationship dynamics that ought to resonate with everyone. People looking for something a little more comfortable are bound to be disappointed by the film's lack of adherence to the Hollywood guidebook, but there's no denying that the Duplass Brothers have a keener understanding that almost anyone of good storytelling when it involves family.

~Steven C

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