Bernard and Huey (2017)

Two old friends reunite, which causes complications.

Director:

Dan Mirvish

Writers:

Jules Feiffer, Jules Feiffer

Stars:

Mae Whitman, Nancy Travis, Sasha Alexander

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mae Whitman	...	Zelda
Nancy Travis	...	Mona
Sasha Alexander	...	Roz
Richard Kind	...	Marty
Bellamy Young	...	Aggie
Lauren Miller Rogen	...	Stephanie (as Lauren Miller)
David Koechner	...	Huey
Jim Rash	...	Bernard
Eka Darville	...	Conrad
Tamara Goodwin	...	Samantha
Shelby Fero	...	Young Mona
Keelin Woodell	...	Cheryl
Jay Renshaw	...	Young Bernard
Jake O'Connor	...	Young Huey
Jessica Frances Dukes	...	Courtesa

Storyline

Based on characters that originally appeared in Oscar/Pulitzer-winner Jules Feiffer's Village Voice comic strip dating back to 1957, Jules wrote the screenplay to "Bernard and Huey" in 1986. It took director Dan Mirvish (Slamdance co-founder) four years to track down the script and work with Feiffer - now 88 and still extremely active as a graphic novelist and playwright - to reinvigorate the project. Cast includes Oscar-winner Jim Rash, Richard Kind, Nancy Travis, Sasha Alexander, Bellamy Young and Mae Whitman, among others. Shot on Super16 film and Alexa. The film starts with post-collegiate Huey (a roguish ladies man) and Bernard (his nebbishy best friend). We flash forward 25 years and now Bernard is a successful New York bachelor, and Huey arrives on his doorstep looking old and washed up. As the two reconnect, Bernard starts a relationship with Huey's estranged daughter Zelda, an aspiring cartoonist. Huey slowly gets his mojo back and tries to seduce various women in Bernard's ...

---

Taglines:

With Friends Like These...

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Kickstarter page Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 2018 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bugeater Films,Good Wizard,Provocation Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bellamy Young guest starred in an episode of NCIS that had Sasha Alexander in it.

User Reviews

Smart, sweet, and surprising

This film defies gravity, which is kindof a miracle.

I was shocked because it's one of the stronger artistic products I've seen by a creator who had been well known for his work in the industry - Mirvish has directed films before, but he's also written helpful books on independent filmmaking and promotion and was a principal at the Slamdance Film Fest. Normally, entertainment industry folk (in music as well as film) create things and you're like, that's cute, now go back to your spreadsheets. But this film is really smart and beautiful, and Mirvish's artistic choices are almost entirely sound.

I was also surprised by this film because it is a film largely about dudes' relationships with women - men being flummoxed by women, hurting them, having their friendships affected by them, finding personal growth through them, etc. - a subject which might seem slightly out of fashion to pursue, given the events of the last couple of years. But even though this is the subject, and it does at times feel like it was written by a male from an earlier generation with some slight updating (Sasha Alexander stuck in the orbit of two patently lesser males; outsiders' perspectives on Millennials and their "apps"), the screenplay is sparklingly witty, quotable, and even touching.

And finally, the film's acting is particularly fine, which is usually the Achilles heel of an independent dramedy. (I call it a dramedy because it's not a romcom, and it's not entirely a comedy although there are some laugh-out-loud lines - it's in the same extended family of films like Carnal Knowledge and Sideways.)

Overall, a really enjoyable film, one that's smart, sweet, and surprising - you gotta see this one.