Excellent but underrated film

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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.

Dimitri Martin writes, directs, and stars here as Dean, who is an illustrator and writer trying to cope with the recent loss of his mother. He's also struggling in his relationship with his father Robert (Kevin Kline), who is also finding his own ways of grieving his loss. With work on his next book blocked by his sadness, Dean decides to travel from Brooklyn to Los Angeles to meet with a dot.com ad agency who have expressed interest in his drawings. While there, Dean will hook up with some old friends like Eric (Rory Scovel) and Becca (Briga Heelan), as well as meeting a new woman Nicky (Gillian Jacobs).I thought the scenes with his friends and Nicky worked well and were often heartfelt and humorous. However, other parts of this movie seemed awkward and flat, so a mixed bag overall.All in all, I thought this rather quirky and oddball dramedy, employing lots of deadpan humor, was only partially successful.

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