Reviewing the new Duplass Brothers movie ‘The Do-Deca-Pentathlon’ is an unusual experience, since it’s important to put it in the proper historical context. This is not technically Jay and Mark’s newest flick, as they made it between ‘Baghead’ and ‘Cyrus’. I say that up front because, well…anyone who sees this and doesn’t know that might wonder if the Duplass boys have taken a step back. This is much more in line with ‘The Puffy Chair’ or ‘Baghead’, their first two films and seminal projects in the Mumblecore movement (even if they chafe at being given a label like that), than it is with their more polished recent works ‘Cyrus’ and ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ (though I’d argue they’re now doing their best work with these slightly bigger budgets). Here with ‘The Do-Deca-Pentathlon’, we’re basically just getting an observational dramedy about grown men acting like children. It’s an interesting take on the middle class male ego that both seems to approve and disapprove of the actions in the movie. The film is likable and another good example of the filmmakers’ auteurist choices, but it’s more forgettable than usual, considering how memorable their works usually are. The movie opens this Friday in limited release, and it’ll be up to you to decide whether to see it or not.
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Tags: Jay and Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon
