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The Mend

Play trailer Poster for The Mend 2014 1h 51m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Mat and Alan, estranged brothers, reunite just before Alan leaves for a vacation with his girlfriend. When he returns sooner than expected without his girlfriend, Alan finds Mat and his family have moved into his apartment.
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The Mend

The Mend

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Critics Consensus

Bolstered by an outstanding performance from Josh Lucas, The Mend finds fresh insights in a familiar tale of familial dysfunction.

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Critics Reviews

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Soren Andersen Seattle Times "The Mend" meanders from situation to situation, turning itself in the process into a wallow of dysfunction. And a claustrophobic wallow at that. Rated: 1.5/4 Sep 10, 2015 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Sharp dialogue and strong performances tumble around this ill-defined story like shoes in a dryer. Sep 10, 2015 Full Review Robert Abele Los Angeles Times "The Mend," about a pair of oil-and-water brothers in free fall, is by turns opaque, harsh, self-aware, indulgent and wickedly funny. It's never dull, pummeling you with its prickly smarts. Aug 28, 2015 Full Review Elissa Suh StageBuddy.com The Mend lacks true mayhem or insight, resulting in a repeating scherzo without a coda. Mar 16, 2020 Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel An NYC-based comedy of ill manners that exudes weird, nervous energy from the opening seconds and never relents. I couldn't shake this film - it persisted in my mind like a stubborn houseguest. Rated: 4.5/5 Apr 12, 2019 Full Review Kathy Fennessy The Stranger (Seattle, WA) It's as if Ingmar Bergman and the Safdie brothers got together to make a movie. However you define it, it's quite wonderful Aug 21, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This romantic and familial drama feels like a throwback to the 70s. The men have a thin veneer of swaggering machismo that covers a wounded child while the women are relegated to be their coaches/therapists. Fortunately writer/director John Margary's dialogue and direction covers these tropes/cliches in a fresh coat of paint. He recalls early Scorsese and Altman in an exciting way. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member "The Mend" is a pretentious, unfunny, self-important indie film about two dysfunctional brothers who never resolve their issues. This film has nothing to say and meanders onward drunkenly through empty scenes and situations and no amount of big words, sophisticated music, or hipsters within a scene will actually make "The Mend" seem intelligent. It's a real drag. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Being abstract and weird is certainly not something a lot of people would like, but that's the sort of tone that The Mend works in. On one hand, it is telling a mostly simple, straight-forward tale of two brothers and their dysfunction, but on the other hand giving that description of the film would not give it enough credit at all. I read a review calling it a very confident debut feature, and that it is. Not many fresh filmmakers would attempt to hint at the pacing and balanced tone that this does, and in that respect, props need to be given in different ways. That's not to say that all of it works though, since there are instances where more restraint may have been appreciated. Nonetheless, very intriguing film Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Didn't finish watching. VERY slow. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a movie I thoroughly did not get anything out of. I feel like with a better director this could have really shone. I liked aspects of it-I liked the weirder abstract sounds or emotions- but in the end it felt meandering, distant and ultimately empty. Like the party guest who waxes just poetically enough to drag you into conversation until it slowly dawns on you that they're just stoned and rambling without substance, I could have spent my two hours elsewhere. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best of the year. I don't even love all of it, but I love all of it, if that makes any sense. What a movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Mend

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Mat and Alan, estranged brothers, reunite just before Alan leaves for a vacation with his girlfriend. When he returns sooner than expected without his girlfriend, Alan finds Mat and his family have moved into his apartment.
Director
John Magary
Producer
Bogdan George Apetri, Sam Connelly, Myna Joseph, Adam Harris Engelhard
Screenwriter
John Magary
Production Co
Moxie Pictures
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 26, 2016
Runtime
1h 51m
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