James (Kyle Mooney) lives a fairly isolated life with parents Ted (Mark Hamill) and April Mitchum (Jane Adams). While his day-to-day existence is quite dull, he derives great joy from sci fi TV show Brigsby Bear Adventures, a programme he's been following since he was a child. One day, the show suddenly ends and the life James has always known changes utterly. In spite of these changes, he becomes determined to give Brigsby Bear the ultimate send-off.
It’s hard to talk about Brigsby Bear without discussing the plot. However, all promotional materials surrounding the film, be they online summaries, trailers or posters, have been resolutely vague and in fairness, the plot twist that kicks the story in motion is one that you benefit from not knowing. Suffice to say that while the show Brigsby Bear Adventures is a bit like Bear in the Big Blue House meets science fiction and maths, the movie Brigbsy Bear recalls The Truman Show, if we’d followed what happened to Truman after he left the show.
Brigsby Bear is intriguing from the get go and its creative and unique design really sucks you in. You’re not really sure of what is happening at first, but there are hints of there being some kind of cult formation following an apocalypse, all of which is very strange and surreal. What follows is a remarkably sweet and touching story about innocence, imagination, and nostalgia. It’s a film that utilises all that sentimental movie stuff you know and love like family and friendship, and yet I can guarantee you’ve never seen a film quite like it.
While it is a dramedy at heart, there are some great laugh-out-loud moments in Brigsby Bear that totally take you be surprise, and while the film is certainly quite schmaltzy, it leaves you with a warm, gooey feeling that totally banishes the cynicism of adulthood in favour of a guiltless, childish glee. Moreover, it’s Christmas, so what better time to check out heart-warming movies such as these?