Harry to the Max

I caught Harry and Max on DVD recently, after watching Race You To the Bottom at Reel Affirmations.

Ostensibly, the story is about two brothers, with a manipulating mother, who jump starts their singing career. Harry's the older brother, fading boy-band one-hit wonder. Max is starting up his career, though he wants to major in physics at some top-notch university.

The story's ultimately about incest. I've seen enough films on the topic that it doesn't particularly faze me to watch another one. This is generally sympathetic to this relationship, although generally unsympathetic to the lives that kid singers lead.

What really hurts the film is it's awkward unnatural dialogue. By contract, Race You To The Bottom seemed far more natural, despite also having moderately intelligent people. I just couldn't believe these two were brothers, and certainly didn't buy they were music stars.

The two parts don't mesh well. When dealing with celebrities, it helps to have the trappings of celebrities. You don't see band practices, nor agents. Instead, the story tosses out any external people, and focuses on about four people. Harry, Max, the chick played by Rain Phoenix, and an older guy who Max once had a thing with.

Oddly enough, the parts I liked best were throwaway scenes, with music overlayed on top of travelling the roads. I don't why.

This might have been a good story. The actors are good enough. But the script really needs help. It just doesn't seem real enough, or emotionally involving.