The Incoherents: A Last Waltz With Dad Rockdom
Director Jared Barel and screenwriter Jeff Auer make their feature film debuts with The Incoherents, a rocking ‘n rolling light comedy about midlife crises and reclaiming the past. More tame and predictable than its title suggests, this comeback tale and its journey ultimately isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but it’s upheld by its 90s swagger and indie spirit.
Bruce Flansburgh (Jeff Auer) is a bored, 40-something New York paralegal who hasn’t let go of his dream of rock stardom. While slogging through an increasingly unbearable day to day existence, it dawns on him that the reunions of The Pixies, Soundgarden and other alternative/indie rock bands from the 90’s could inspire his former group, THE INCOHERENTS, to reform. The group, each mired in some sort of midlife malaise, reunite their 90's indie rock band for one last shot at stardom.
Anyone who has ever been in a band occasionally dreams about getting the band back together. Having a desire to relive the glory days and all the might-have/could-have beens is a reasonable fantasy, but it never really makes it much further than being a moonage daydream. This fairly universal desire is the motivation that drives The Incoherents’ story, and while it’s a relatable one, it doesn’t really reverberate with much potency.
When Bruce awakens one day from his literal rock ‘n roll dreams to the normalcy of family life, he shuffles off to his job as a paralegal where he gladly takes on the mundane office tasks with panache. After work, he listens to a street musician and attends a rock concert before heading back home to do some rocking of his own in his man cave. This musical one-night stand causes Bruce to reform the old band, The Incoherents — something his wife is cool with after sleeping on it for a night, provided it doesn’t get in the way of the family. While a couple of the bandmates are in from the start, some bad blood between Bruce and guitarist Jimmy (played by Alex Emanuel, who also served as music supervisor) causes some minor conflict.
As Bruce starts to chase his rockstar dreams, his wife, Liz (Kate Arrington), is also chasing her own dreams of starting a business. This sub-plot is uneven screen time and development, and it’s only used as a means of petty conflict. Bruce and Liz’s children are similar, barely there and only leveraged for a very weak moment of conflict when both parents have events to attend but someone needs to watch the kids — because babysitters aren’t a thing. Bruce’s work life also doesn’t complicate his rock and roll aspirations all too much and is only used to give his character a rebellious edge and minor arc.
The band gets off to a rocky start, but they begin to find their footing when the join forces with The Jules, a well-known manager who helps to guide these old dogs to stardom. When Jimmy befriends promoter and blogger, Debbie (Margaret Anne Florence), she rekindles the flames of their ego and sets them up for their last waltz with success, going so far as to call them “An indie-rock phoenix rises from the ashes to play again.”
Alex Emanuel, along with Jeff Auer, wrote the original songs the band performs in the film, and they’re pretty decent, albeit generic like most of the film. The original songs and the soundtrack selections give the film its sense of pulse and reinforce the film’s palpable desire to create a love letter to the 80's/early 90's rock ‘n roll scene in America. It successfully captures an early-90s indie feel, which is frequently charming due to the performers and Auer’s often witty dialogue.
The film is snappily edited and competently put together, but its narrative — especially its conclusion — is weakly drawn and majorly soft-boiled. In particular, its choice to use social-media as a make-or-break element for the band feels a bit out of touch with reality (since a lot of dad’s are on Facebook). The film’s true saving grace are its actors and the authentic sense of chemistry they produce, creating a believable and layered history between the four bandmates. The whole film would probably be stronger if its central character felt like he had more to lose or truly had everything riding on this long-shot comeback — or at least learned something new from having taken his shot — but what Bartel and Auer cook up makes for a fairly entertainingly familiar ride.
Recommendation: If you like light comedies or stories about getting the band back together, give The Incoherents a watch!
Rating: 2.5 rock n’ roll fantasies outta 5.
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