Harry & Max Movie Review

The title characters in "Harry and Max" areboy-band brothers, one washed-up and clinging to a solo career and theother just making his first Teen Beat cover -- but you wouldn't know itfrom the story, which has nothing to do with their so-called musical careers.It takes place in the days surrounding a fraternal-bonding camping tripin which sexual histories and other goings-on are brought to the surface,including incest between the siblings.

Curiously, writer-director Christopher Munch ("TheSleepy Time Gal") doesn't seem to think this is any big deal. In fact,despite over-writing and over-staging every scene for a maximum of shallowsoul-plumbing, Munch tries incredibly hard to be very nonchalant aboutall manner of sexuality (not just incest, but pedophilia too) in an apparentattempt to demonstrate that his characters are at least as well-adjusted-- or maybe as screwed up -- as anyone else. Only the older brother's drinkingproblem seems to raise a red flag in Munch's talky-talk plot.

The lead performances by Bryce Johnson (WB's "Popular"and MTV's "Undressed") and Cole Williams (of ABC's "8 SimpleRules...") ring with authenticity -- if you grant the premise thatthese two are just everyday guys. But the film seems to be nothing morethan an attempt to affirm a sense of I'm-OK-you're-OK normality for anyviewers with such issues in their own lives.