My Favorite Movies – Brigsby Bear (2017)

By Tanner Smith

Oh, how I wish I had seen this film in theaters in 2017.

Brigsby Bear is a WEIRD one to describe to people–so I usually start with, “It’s one of the most original films you’ll ever see!”

Or, “There is nothing quite like the feeling I have when I make movies with my friends. And this film captures that.”

Or, my mom’s personal favorite: “It’s dope as sh*t!” (which is a line from the movie)

Brigsby Bear is so creative that to try and summarize its plot would be difficult. (I’ve seen many overstuffed movies for which that WASN’T a good thing.) But I can describe what this film means to me personally.

The main character James (played by SNL’s Kyle Mooney, who also co-wrote the film) is making a movie with his friends based on his hero since childhood (Brigsby Bear). They have very few resources, they get family and friends to contribute, they get a cop friend to steal props for them (don’t ask–it’s complicated), and they work together to make what they believe is an awesome piece of work.

I get it. Everything about that moment, in which they’re making their movie and hanging out together, I totally get. And what’s even better is this movie gets it too. What do I personally love more than making movies? Making movies with great people who want to make them with me.

If you haven’t seen this film, I won’t dare go into who exactly Brigsby is, how James ended up with him as a childhood idol, or what exactly James’ deal is and what led him to make this movie. Going into it blind is the best way to start out. And then seeing it again, you’ll get even more pleasure from it.

And fun fact: this is one of those movies I watched the most during Covid lockdown. I truly love this film.

Check out “Brigsby Bear.” It’s dope as sh*t!