Excellent, smart action film.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

On the up-side, this flick was presented in an interesting way that came across as original and real-the story, the cast, the acting, the filming, all of these were stand-up and captured one's interest. On the down-side, the soundtrack was a torturous let-down; it was such a distraction and so painful that I found myself skipping thru the scenes where the music was featured, not even caring if I missed any important dialogue that might be there and bringing an otherwise solid 8-star rating down to 6.

Just finished watching "Dean" and don't have intense thoughts or feelings staying with me as one does with the best films. I did enjoy watching it though, for there was enough thoughtful and humorous content to keep me involved. I think the low-key personality of Dean worked well in showing a young creative man dealing with grief and his own personality issues. I had the sense life wasn't exactly a great fun ride for him even before his mother's death.The use of his cartoons and his subtle sense of humor served to highlight the troubling aspects of the main characters' lives, including, not only Dean, but Robert (Kevin Kline), and Dean's so-called best friend, Eric. They were all dealing with loneliness and loss in one way or another.What didn't quite make it with me was the score. I've never been a fan of this type of music which I'll call folksy-pop music. In this case the songs' lyrics related to the action that was taking place, e.g., when Dean makes the somewhat out-of-character move of leaving the airplane just before takeoff because a woman he liked called him, the song's main lyric was "I'm a gambler..." Because I find this music to be almost sappy, having it accompany strong emotional moments seemed corny to me, and didn't enhance a film that already has its elements of nerdiness.While for me it was a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half, I could see how a viewer who's personally dealing with loss of a loved one might get more out of it.

I've been a fan of Demetri Martin since I was 12/13. His awkward humor and use of drawings had been so funny to look at and I even own one of his books, "This is a Book." When I heard Demetri was soon going to have a film released, I was excited as all hell! So I quickly checked the first run theater where I saw Trainspotting 2 at to see if they had Dean, and was promptly disappointed they weren't screening it. A day later, I saw they WERE screening it and IMMEDIATELY drove over to go see it. I've read reviews saying the film played it safe, which I suppose I have to agree with to some extent. I haven't seen a lot of Rom-comedies, mostly because they all end the same where the couple either gets together or dies, so seeing Dean advertised as a Rom-com worried me. What sets "Dean" apart is it's use of clever cinematography and the fact that unlike other comedies these days, ITS ACTUALLY FUNNY. In a sea of terrible films like "Snatched" or "Office Christmas Party," this film made me laugh from the very beginning and gave me faith in the indie market. The cinematography is also very clever. There's one shot where Dean is sitting in a restaurant drawing and when his dad calls him about selling the house and Dean persistently comes up with reasons why the house shouldn't be sold, we see a young child in the background also drawing on the tablecloth to show how Dean is coming up with childish reasons to avoid selling the house. "DEAN" is one of my favorite films of the year, and I'll definitely go see again because of the clever writing, clever cinematography, superb acting, and also because ITS ACTUALLY FUNNY. Overall, I give "Dean" an 8.6/10.

Don't know if this really happen to star writer and director Demetri Martin but it does feels personal and a very real processes of grieving.What is it with Gillian Jacobs' being cast to be the girlfriend of these awkward guys? Guess that's her thing (I'm just assuming based on her role in Love on Netflix).Not enough Kevin Kline in this movie and that's a shame. Not into romantic comedies but I would love to see one if Kevin Kline is playing a man looking for love. The both times I recall him doing it (including this one) have him doing some really good acting. Charming and expressive, It felt like he was really into the woman he was courting. Then again, I'm sure it's not hard to fall in love with Mary Steenburgen (Who was in the Last movie I saw Kline get romantic in, Last Vegas) It reminds me of Nebraska but not as good. Just in the concept that those who can relate to the material would like it more.http://cinemagardens.com