Movie Review: Passenger Side (2010)

November 26, 2010 / Leave a Comment

PASSENGER SIDE

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
NOVEMBER 26, 2010

Michael (Adam Scott) and Tobey (Joel Bissonnette) are brothers with a strained relationship. Tobey is an ex-addict, on the up-and-up, while Michael is a skeptic and cynic, content in the mediocre life. Michael agrees to drive his brother around Los Angeles on his birthday, job hunting. What transpires throughout their day ends far from job hunting as the brothers criticize each other and experience a life that Michael is not accustomed to as Tobey tries to break Michael out of his shell.

Adam Scott plays his part masterfully and solidifies that he can wholeheartedly carry a film entirely by himself. Basing the entire movie around Scott’s trademarked cynicism creates a genuine independent classic worthy of the mainstream status. The fact that Adam Scott has not made more of a stir in the commercial film world is mind-boggling, but to have a star like Scott floating around in the indie world is a refreshing new experience in many films, including his massive success in “The Vicious Kind.”

Joel Bissonnette, who appears to be the brother of the writer and director, carries his character effectively and matches Scott’s quirky nature, adding his own downtrodden yet strangely confident flair to the film.

“Passenger Side,” though not readily available, should be experienced by any Adam Scott fan. The dialogue is a perfect mix of comedy and dramatics, exemplifying the type of role that Scott has coined. I look forward to Scott’s eventual commercial success, but if he remains in independent films, I cannot complain and will continue to enjoy his presence. Writer and director Matt Bissonnette creates eccentric characters and fleshes them into real everyday people and experiences that clone real-life events. With surprising climaxes and refreshing performances, “Passenger Side” is a dramatic, indie masterpiece.