New York City Serenade

I knew nothing about this movie, wasn't familiar with the director, and didn't recognize any of the actors except for Wallace Shawn (Princess Bride) who makes a brief cameo. I was really impressed at how entertaining it was and how it so accurately & honestly portrayed a 'bromance' (close friendship between hetero guys).

There isn't a lot of plot. This is much like a road movie where the story unfolds as randomly as real life. Seemingly disconnected events occur--a party, a funeral, a plane trip, a hotel jaunt--and these events uncover the friendship between two buddies who are rapidly passing the age of immaturity (20-something) and entering the so-called serious phase of life (30-something). The problem is that one of them (Chris Klein) is not so ready to embrace that life, and his unerring capacity to get his buddy (Freddy Prinze Jr.) into trouble causes some friction.

In a weird way, this movie is almost like a romantic comedy between 2 guys but without any romance.

The two actors did a great job, particularly Chris Klein who plays the clown but in a very laid back & believable way. Freddy plays the straight man who, in an unusual twist, is more neurotic & spazzy than the clown. It's a lot of fun to watch.

The pace of this film is a bit slower than most mainstream flicks. The director is not afraid to dwell on some scenes & images for the sake of establishing a mood, and I liked that. Also the director resisted the temptation to hit us with a predictable Hollywood ending, and I also liked that.

I can't think of many films I'd compare this to (which says a lot for the movie). But the films that come to mind are "Grand Theft Parsons" and maybe a very laid-back version of "Planes, Trains & Automobiles".