In ‘Brigsby Bear,’ childlike wonder never grows old
Comedian Kyle Mooney excels at playing sheepish, oddball man children on “Saturday Night Live.’’
They’re not obnoxious, inappropriate bros which made his buddy Andy Samberg famous. Rather, Mooney embodies sensitivity, adding empathy to men instinctively patronized as sad sacks.
Mooney successfully returns to the well in “Brigsby Bear.’’ He stars as James, a sheltered young adult living with his overly protective parents Ted (Mark Hamill) and April (Jane Adams). James hasn’t grown up, still reading by flashlight or sneaking out of his room after his bedtime. However after a traumatic night, James quickly learns Ted and April kidnapped him as a child. He remembers nothing and doesn’t particularly care his faux-parents abducted him.
All that matters for James is the fictional children’s program Brigsby Bear.
The setup works. Mooney and co-writer Kevin Costello poke fun at cheesy children’s programs like “Barney & Friends’’ or “Teletubbies’’ that drill moral lessons into simplistic everyday conundrums.
“Brigsby Bear’’ the movie is certainly no everyday conundrum. First time screenwriters Costello and Mooney offer a new perspective on the captivity film. Namely, they take what could be a three-minute “SNL’’ parody, remove the condescending tone and add sympathy. James never knew he’d been kidnapped as a baby, so of course he has little reason to despise his captors. They raised him as a healthy, loved child. It’s the sensational, aggressive American culture that scares him.
Both director Dave McCary and Mooney are members of the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor and work at “SNL.’’
‘’Brigsby Bear” is McCary’s first feature-length directorial debut and he takes smart risks. McCary interweaves stop-animation drawings into the liveaction film which adds to the theme of legitimacy in childhood interests. While minimal, it works.