THE NOTORIOUS NEWMAN BROTHERS Review - Written by TonyD

“The Notorious Newman Brothers”
2009
**** out of ****
Director: Ryan Noel
Cast: Brett Butler, Jason Butler, Ryan Noel


When it comes to independent comedy flicks, you can’t get better than the Butler brothers. I’ve seen one or two of their previous flicks and I couldn’t stop laughing through both of them. Their newest film, “The Notorious Newman Brothers,” may be their funniest film yet. I haven’t laughed this hard since “Hamlet 2.” Why aren’t these guys starring in studio flicks?

Max Chaplin (Ryan Noel) has been going undercover as a documentary filmmaker making a film about the lives of the Notorious Newman brothers, Thunderclap (Brett Butler) and Paulie (Jason Butler). Max is a terrible filmmaker, but these mobsters are so absurd that they might be as bad at being mobsters as he is a terrible filmmaker.

That’s all I’ll say about the plot. Normally, I will go into some more details but I think the more “surprises” that you discover as the film goes on the more you will like it. These surprises aren’t so surprising as they are absurd but that’s what makes the film so hilarious. “The Notorious Newman Brothers” is so well-made and so well-put together that if with a higher budget and a studio deal, it would be a hit in theaters.

The Butler brothers have been compared to Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino… doesn’t that make you want to run out and purchase their films? The film’s highlight is the script. It’s hilarious and doesn’t stop for a second. The Butler brothers are to thank for this. I’m sure this wasn’t all just the script, but there must have been a lot of improv to this film too. Or at least it seems like it. Those guys are fan-fucking-tastic in their roles.

So what are you waiting for? Fucking keep looking out for more of this film. It’s so good that you’ll want to watch it more than once… I did…