drscompanion1108
Well I just saw this movie on Sundance Channel and I am pondering to myself as to why I just wasted 72 minutes of my life on this. It had a very poor story line, almost like a poor knock off of The 40 Year Old Virgin except the fact the main character wasn't a virgin, obviously and was just pitifully pathetic (if that makes any sense). If this movie had to be done for reasons unbeknownst to me, they could've cut a lot of unnecessary crap in the middle. It could've been and should have much shorter. I too must have missed whatever deep and profound meaning that was supposed to have been embedded in this, whatever it was because I didn't get it.
Steve Pulaski
Do-it-yourself filmmaker Joe Swanberg is beginning to become "the Woody Allen of mumblecore" with me in the regard that whether or not I like one of his films I'm comforted by the notion that he will indeed make more films that will hopefully surpass the one I just watched. Mumblecore - the infamous independent movement that Swanberg helped pioneer - is a very tricky genre to tackle because your response will largely be devoted based on how much you like the characters and believe their struggle.In 2011, Swanberg directed, starred, and pioneered a shocking seven feature films, one of them being Uncle Kent. Swanberg's prolific-status is one of his biggest benefits but also one of his biggest curses. It allows for his great ideas to be released to the public quickly (take Hannah Takes the Stairs, which I think will resonate with many post-college students), but also leads to some of his ideas being half-baked and underdeveloped (his descent into the horror genre with Silver Bullets).Uncle Kent centers around the title character (Kent Osborne), who is a kid's show cartoonist that is often found secluded in his apartment, smoking pot, and batting off ideas for his show, usually with his best friend. Unfortunately, Kent is extremely lonely as he is into his early forties and can't hold down a stable relationship. He attempts to crush this stifling feeling of loneliness by trying to get in touch with Kate (Jennifer Prediger), a woman he met on the popular video-chatting service Chatroulette. Kate is an environmental journalist, who, despite Kent's true affection for her, still can't shake the love she possesses for her boyfriend. We watch their relationship unfold throughout the course of one long weekend.There are two things that seem very commonplace in Swanberg films, and they're two things I do not object to in the slightest. One is relationships and interactions through the use of social media. Swanberg seems genuinely fascinated by the way human-communication has evolved with the birth of the internet and the birth of webcams, chatrooms, texting, etc. His choice to focus on a relationship that would've never even seen the light of day without the creation of the internet is nicely realistically portrayed on screen.The other thing is the way the characters talk to each other, in an open, conversational, often sexually explicit way. They don't beat around the bush - per-say - and dive right into intimate conversations about sex, masturbation, and other topics that have been sheltered in mainstream cinema, only emerging as subjects we laugh at. Very few films feature characters that will openly show you how they masturbate and even fewer will show it in a serious light.Uncle Kent is no burden on the viewer, at only seventy-two minutes in length and seemingly flying by in half-the-time. Swanberg perfectly introduces us to these characters, lets us form an opinion on them, and then gives us just about as much humanity and soul into the project that a film like this needs to work. If it hadn't been stuck with an ending that fails to summarize the excursion or tie it together in an efficient way, I'd may call it a small little masterpiece.Starring: Kent Osborne, Jennifer Prediger, and Joe Swanberg. Directed by: Joe Swanberg.
kwwilliams828
I really enjoyed this film. It's a totally different perspective in that it considers dating in our present world for a 40-year old man. It's honest and sincere and sometimes very awkward. At times it's laugh at loud funny with characters I really believed. Highly recommend.I think Hollywood has forgotten that sometimes silence says more than words. In this movie there are times when the character doesn't know what to say. This might even be true. It's so believable I can't tell! Poor Uncle Kent. Great job Joe Swanberg. My favorite movie from you for sure.Worth every minute.
ccorogenes
This movie had a message but it could have been told in 20 minutes vs 72. Long inane clips that did not add to the story. Editing was disparately needed. A story of a sad newly 40 male with a pathetic, lonely, boring life. He falls into a male fantasy weekend which was a great story poorly told.Filmed apparently on a FlipCam the camera movement almost made me sick at times. I love that a film could be made on a FlipCam. Regrettably, the lighting was at times so poor you could not make out the actors faces. Also because of the low resolution the film was pixelated on the large screen. I have no idea why this film made the cut for Sundance. I watched it with my wife at 10pm during the Sundance Film Festival. We should have gone to bed and skipped the trek from Park City to the Red Stone Theater at that late hour. My wife is still angry at me for making her sit through it.Maybe I missed something artful or profound....if so it was well hidden. I hope so because someone put in a lot of effort and hope in making this film.
