Odd Brodsky (2014)

A quirky dramedy about a woman who quits her steady job to become an actress.

Director:

Cindy Baer

Writers:

Cindy Baer, Matthew Irving

Stars:

Tegan Ashton Cohan, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Scott Deckert

19 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tegan Ashton Cohan	...	Audrey
Matthew Kevin Anderson	...	Camera One
Scott Deckert	...	Spuds (Steve) (as Scotty Dickert)
Cindy Baer	...	Sammy
Elana Krausz	...	Zoey
Christina Moses	...	Kitty (as Christina Marie Moses)
Leigh Sill Forrest	...	Susan
John Alton	...	Audrey's father, Joe
Jesse Meriwether	...	Audrey's Mother, Mary
Ilana Klusky	...	Audrey, Age 9
Jim Hanks	...	Actor Playing God
Jolie Adamson	...	Actress playing Sarah
Mark Chaet	...	Rex
Darrin Glesser	...	Office Worker 1 (Ted)
Whitney Goin	...	Office Worker 2 (Tracy)

Storyline

Audrey Brodsky quits her dreary desk job to follow her childhood dream of becoming an actress. When she meets an aspiring cameraman on the internet and moves in with a sexy new roommate, the adventure of her life finally begins. Insider jokes about living in Los Angeles bring forth social commentary about the importance we place on celebrity. But below the jokes lie a bittersweet story that is both inspiring and realistic. We are reminded that happiness has little to do with fame, and that we long to be connected; connected to ourselves, each other and the world. Winner of 20 festival awards, this quirky, Wes Anderson inspired large-scale, micro-budget comedy boasts over 30 locations, 80 music cues including a mandolin score, and a cast of more than 50 speaking roles, the majority of whom are women. The Hollywood Times declares "You will fall in love with the characters and laugh to the end.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | mandolin | f rated | quitting a job | hollywood california | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

At the 46 minute mark, the actor playing God asks Audrey if she's related to anyone famous, then says he's related to Martin Sheen. Actually, he's Jim Hanks - brother of Tom Hanks.

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Soundtracks

Namaste Song
Written and Performed by Stephen Day
Courtesy of Road Less Traveled Records

User Reviews

A great micro budget film from talented film makers

A micro budget film, filmed over 20 days in over 30 locations, official selection of 29 film festivals and winner of 20 film festival awards and critiqued as "One of the Best Films of the Year"!

Any Director or Producer would be proud to have these accolades on their film and thats exactly what powerhouse Director, Producer, Co-writer and Actress Cindy Baer has with her film 'Odd Brodsky' (wow thats a lot of things, go girl!). The big question remains, is all the fuss justified?

I can honestly say I really enjoyed this film. Even as a micro budget movie, Odd Brodsky delivers as a quirky, funny, touching and a truly heart warming experience. The characters, although pushing their stereotypes to extremes at points, are cast well and work brilliantly together. You really do fall in love with all of them however, I have to say that Tegan Ashton Cohan delivers a truly mesmerising on screen performance as the lead role of Audrey. There were points where I honestly had to catch myself before I ventured into an embarrassing, teary eyed moment. What! Reel Guys can cry too! I will definitely enjoy watching where she goes after this because I can bet it will be on to something good.

The film itself carries an editing and cinematography style that reminds me of Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' just not quite as extreme in colour which I think does not detract in the slightest, its great to watch! The talent in this film both on screen and off screen is evident with this being a micro budget film that avoids all the usual micro budget film issues. You know the ones Im talking about, bad audio, odd editing choices, grainy film shot on poor low-res cameras and a few odd camera angles. Odd Brodsky avoids all of this and transports you effortlessly into the world of Audrey, a middle aged woman just wanting to follow her dream.

That leads me on to the plot and the story. The film follows Audrey, a middle aged girl, stuck as an 'office gal' when what she really wants to do is make her mother proud and follow her dream of acting. Following her journey as she steps out of comfort zone and attempts to tackle the unknown we get to meet the funny characters she meets along the way. Characters such as 'Camera One', her trusty camera operator, played by Matthew Kevin Anderson, who films her for the reality TV show she plans to make to help her become discovered or her attractive stoner housemate 'Spuds', played by Scotty Dickert from the Netflix original film 'XOXO', who just seems to be in the right place at the right time. We watch these characters grow together through a series of antics as Audrey tries harder and harder to reach her dream before her money runs out and her dream along with it. I admit, there is an element of bias with me being an actor and this being a story about a person dreaming to be a successful actor but this film hits the thoughts, feelings, bad times and good right on the head. I really did resonate with this story of aspiration recognising a lot of states that I myself had been through.

So should you watch this film. Honestly, even if you are not an actor I really think you should! Its a great feel good movie that demonstrates the courage a person choosing to act has to carry with them even in the face of overwhelming resistance and confusion from people who don't understand their decision and think they are helping but are actually cutting the deepest with their words.

This film has done well already and I believe it will continue to do so. A truly great film from truly talented people.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 2016 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Free Dream Pictures, Metahara Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color