Brian and Charles

Last updated

Brian and Charles
Brian and Charles.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJim Archer
Screenplay by
Based onBrian and Charles
by Jim Archer
Produced byRupert Majendie
Starring
  • David Earl
  • Chris Hayward
CinematographyMurren Tullett
Edited byJo Walker
Music by Daniel Pemberton
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 23 January 2022 (2022-01-23)(Sundance)
  • 17 June 2022 (2022-06-17)(United States)
  • 8 July 2022 (2022-07-08)(United Kingdom)
Running time
90 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$860,850 [1]

Brian and Charles is a 2022 science fiction comedy drama film directed by Jim Archer, in his feature debut, from a screenplay by David Earl and Chris Hayward, who also star in the film. The film follows an eccentric loner who creates a robotic companion.

Contents

A feature-length adaptation of the trio's 2017 short film of the same name, Brian and Charles premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. [2] The film was released in the United States on 17 June 2022 and in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2022.

Plot

Brian Gittins is a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who builds quirky contraptions that seldom work. One day while scavenging scrap, he comes across a mannequin’s head, which inspires him to attempt to create an artificially-intelligent robot, though he is unable to activate it. That night, during a thunderstorm, Brian discovers his activated robot wandering outside of his workshop, and Brian brings it into his house.

The following morning, Brian discovers that the robot has learned the English language by reading a dictionary, and it gives itself the name Charles Petrescu. Brian begins spending time playing with Charles and showing him around his property. The childlike Charles becomes more curious and eager to explore more of the world, but Brian instructs him to stay nearby at all times.

Eventually, Brian begins driving Charles into town while working as a handyman, though he instructs Charles to stay in his truck. He is eventually discovered by Hazel, a woman whose mother Brian does work for and whom Brian has an affection for. Brian pleads with Hazel to keep him a secret, but Hazel is impressed and allows Brian to take her and Charles to walk around a nearby lake, and he successfully asks her to go out again.

Charles becomes more and more eager to explore the outside world, but Brian is adamant that he cannot, leading to a falling out between them. One day, Eddie, a local bully, along with his two spoiled teenage daughters, come across Charles and approach Brian to purchase him, but Brian refuses, leading to Eddie shoving Brian to the ground. The next day, Brian comes home from work to find his front door pulled off its hinges and Charles having disappeared. He and Hazel find Charles at Eddie’s, but Eddie claims that Charles came on his own. Brian and Hazel learn that Eddie intends to burn Charles in a bonfire later that night. Distraught, Brian and Hazel return to his house, and Hazel praises him for having been able to make Charles at all. The two work together to build something.

Brian and Hazel return to the bonfire, where Brian saves Charles just in time before he catches fire. Eddie and his family chase Brian, Charles, and Hazel into town where the rest of the town gathers. The citizens confront Eddie on his thieving, and with the help of the inventions Brian made, he and Charles send Eddie and his family away.

The next morning, Brian, accepting Charles’s adventurous nature, gifts him with a pass that will allow him to travel the world. Brian and Hazel both bid Charles farewell at the train station before leaving together. During the credits, pictures of Charles are shown with various landmarks and buildings of the numerous cities he has visited.

Cast

Production

Film4 Productions boarded the feature-length adaptation of Archer, Earl, and Hayward's short film in early 2019, followed by the BFI. Principal photography took place on location in rural North Wales, including Cwm Penmachno and Llyn Gwynant, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4]

Release

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 23 January 2022. A few days later, Focus Features acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film, with its parent Universal Pictures handling international distribution in international territories on its behalf. [5] [6] Brian and Charles grossed $860,850 worldwide. [7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 85% of 97 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Brian and Charles may test the patience of quirk-resistant viewers, but the innate charm of this odd couple comedy is easy to compute." [8] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [9]

Accolades

At the Sundance Film Festival: London 2022, which Jim Archer attended, the film won the Audience Favourite award.[ citation needed ]

In 2023, it was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Izzard</span> British comedian and actor (born 1962)

Suzy Eddie Izzard, is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Dano</span> American actor (born 1984)

Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing a troubled teenager in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For playing identical twins in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taika Waititi</span> New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian (born 1975)

Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi, is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He is known for directing quirky comedy films and has expanded his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Ross (actor)</span> American actor (born 1970)

Matthew Brandon Ross is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Alby Grant on the television series Big Love (2006–11) and Gavin Belson on Silicon Valley (2014–19), as well as his performances in the films The Last Days of Disco (1998), American Psycho (2000), and The Aviator (2004). He wrote and directed the 2016 comedy-drama film Captain Fantastic.

<i>Waitress</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly

Waitress is a 2007 American comedy drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, starring Keri Russell as a young woman trapped in a small town and an abusive marriage, who faces an unwanted pregnancy while working as a waitress. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 2, 2007, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Shelly's supporting role is her final film appearance before her death. In 2015, Waitress was adapted into a Tony-nominated musical of the same name.

<i>Eds Next Move</i> 1996 American film

Ed's Next Move is a 1996 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Walsh, and starring Matt Ross, Callie Thorne and Kevin Carroll. A micro-budget film about a transplanted Midwesterner adapting to life in New York's East Village, the film appeared at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival where it received critical praise and was picked up by Orion Classics for theatrical release.

<i>Five Children and It</i> (film) 2004 film by John Stephenson

Five Children and It is a 2004 family fantasy-comedy-drama adventure film adaptation of the 1902 novel Five Children and It, which features live action and computer animation. It was directed by John Stephenson, produced by Nick Hirschkorn, Lisa Henson and Samuel Hadida, written by E. Nesbit and David Solomons with music by Jane Antonia Cornish and starring Tara FitzGerald, Freddie Highmore, Alex Jennings, Jonathan Bailey, Jessica Claridge, Poppy Rogers, Alec Muggleton, Zak Muggleton, Zoë Wanamaker, Kenneth Branagh, Alexander Pownall, Robert Tygner, Eddie Izzard as the voice of It-Psammead, Georgio Serafini, John Sessions, Kim Fenton, Norman Wisdom and Duncan Preston and Zak.

Damian Jones is a British independent film producer.

Sarah Townsend, known professionally as Sarah McGuinness, is an Irish singer, composer, producer, director, and screenwriter.

<i>Submarine</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Richard Ayoade

Submarine is a 2010 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Ayoade and starring Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige and Sally Hawkins. It is based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne, and is an international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States. Submarine is Ayoade's directorial debut.

<i>Every Day</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Every Day is a 2010 comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Levine and starring Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Carla Gugino, Eddie Izzard, Ezra Miller, and Brian Dennehy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Abbott</span> American actor (born 1986)

Christopher Jacob Abbott is an American actor. He is known for his work in independent films. In 2011, Abbott made his feature film debut in Martha Marcy May Marlene and his Broadway debut in the revival of the play The House of Blue Leaves. Abbott received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for the drama film James White (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Earl (actor)</span> British actor and comedian

David Geoffrey Earl is a British actor and comedian, best known for his comedy character Brian Gittins. He has featured in several projects associated with Ricky Gervais, most notably as Kevin "Kev" Twine in the comedy-drama Derek, and in smaller roles in Extras, After Life and the film Cemetery Junction. Earl also works frequently with comic Joe Wilkinson. Together they co-wrote and starred in the sitcom Rovers, and the comedy series The Cockfields. They also host three podcasts called Gossipmongers, Chatabix and You Don't Know What You're Doing. He also co-wrote and starred in the feature film Brian and Charles where he plays an isolated inventor who builds a robot.

<i>Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</i> (film) 2015 film by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a 2015 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon from a screenplay by Jesse Andrews, based on Andrews' 2012 novel of the same name. The film stars Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke. It follows a socially awkward teenage boy who, along with an acquaintance, befriends a classmate after she is diagnosed with cancer. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 12, 2015, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the screenplay and cast.

<i>Slow West</i> 2015 film by John Maclean

Slow West is a 2015 revisionist Western film written and directed by John Maclean in his directorial debut. It stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as a young Scotsman searching for his lost love in the American West, accompanied by a bounty hunter played by Michael Fassbender. It premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2015, where it was awarded the Sundance Institute's World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic Winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Demetriou</span> English comedian and actor (born 1987)

Jamie Demetriou is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Bus Rodent in Fleabag and for creating, co-writing, and starring in Stath Lets Flats. For the latter, he won Best Male Actor in a Comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy at the 2020 BAFTA Awards.

<i>To the Stars</i> (film) 2019 drama film

To the Stars is a 2019 American drama film directed by Martha Stephens from a screenplay by Shannon Bradley-Colleary. It stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Shea Whigham, Jordana Spiro, Lucas Jade Zumann, Adelaide Clemens, Malin Åkerman and Tony Hale.

<i>The High Note</i> 2020 film directed by Nisha Ganatra

The High Note is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Flora Greeson. It stars Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoë Chao, Bill Pullman, Eddie Izzard, and Ice Cube, and follows a famous singer's personal assistant who wants to become a music producer.

Kibwe Tavares is a British filmmaker and architect. He is the co-founder of Factory Fifteen, a studio that uses animation and emerging technologies to understand and explain the built environment. His first short, Robots of Brixton, was awarded the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects President's Medal. He is a 2020 TED Senior Fellow.

<i>Get Duked!</i> 2019 British comedy film

Get Duked! is a 2019 British black comedy film written and directed by Ninian Doff in his feature directorial debut, and starring Eddie Izzard. The film premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest Film Festival and was released by Amazon Studios on Amazon Prime Video on 28 August 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Brian and Charles". Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (14 January 2022). "'Brian And Charles': First Clip For Sundance Comedy Backed By Film4 & BFI". Deadline. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Munday, Rob (20 January 2022). "Sundance Film Festival 2022: Talking 'Brian and Charles' with director Jim Archer". Short of the Week. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "'Brian and Charles': How the Brit Comedy's (Extremely) Low-Budget, 7-Foot, Cabbage-Eating Robot Was Brought to Life". The Hollywood Reporter . 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (28 January 2022). "RSS Focus Features, Bankside strike worldwide deal on UK Sundance selection 'Brian And Charles'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (28 January 2022). "Focus Features Picks Up Brian And Charles – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Brian and Charles". Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Brian and Charles". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Brian and Charles". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Film, Guardian (19 January 2023). "Baftas 2023: the full list of nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.