'Breakfast With Curtis' Movie Review

"Breakfast With Curtis" Movie Review: 1 1/2 Stars

by Inkoo Kang

Syd, an eccentric bookseller with delusions of grandeur fueled by red wine, caused a rift five years ago between the freewheeling bohemian residents of his house and the family next door.

Now over the course of a balmy summer, he tries to draft the boy next door to make videos for his online book business. Introverted young Curtis is reluctant at first, but soon gets drawn in by Syd's creative fervor.

Their unlikely bond dissolves bad blood between their households, replacing old grudges and repressed secrets with new camaraderie and fresh possibility. The transformative power of forgiveness, ping pong and afternoon cocktails sparks Curtis's first seminal summer and a season of change for all

Hanging out is the ethos and raison d'etre of writer-director Laura Colella's microbudget indie, "Breakfast With Curtis," a drama too relaxed to dwell on conflict.

Neighborly strife comes to a head in the film's first scene, when Syd (Theo Green), a child-free crank, blows his top at his 9-year-old neighbor (Jonah Parker) for throwing a rock at a cat. Tension then dissipates from the movie, leaving just enough friction to perhaps produce a second of static cling.

That neighbor boy, Curtis, grows up to be a home-schooled 14-year-old with oversize glasses.

He and his straitlaced suburban parents live unhappily next to Syd and his merry band of middle-aged bohemians. Bookseller Syd grumbles the most about Curtis and his parents, but he recruits the introspective teen to make a series of video blogs for his online storefront.

Beyond this general outline, plot and character development are afterthoughts, or maybe never-thoughts. Syd, whose volubility is an irritating marvel, is the only character who comes through as a fully developed person, but the film doesn't stay with him -- or with the quietly blossoming Curtis. Instead, the cast of amateur actors takes over.

Many of the actors are Colella's actual neighbors, but they fail to add depth to their on-screen personas.

"Breakfast With Curtis" is a convincing testament to the curative powers of afternoon cocktails and ping-pong, but it's not much else.

No MPAA rating, Running time: 1:22.

"Breakfast With Curtis" Movie Trailer

Introverted young Curtis is reluctant at first, but soon gets drawn in by Syd's creative fervor. Their unlikely bond dissolves bad blood between their households, replacing old grudges and repressed secrets with new camaraderie and fresh possibility. The transformative power of forgiveness sparks Curtis's first seminal summer and a season of change for all.

'Breakfast With Curtis' Movie Review & Movie Trailer