SnoopyStyle Larry (Jason Schwartzman) is a slacker with little ambition. He works a menial job at the oil change garage. He has his dog. He is joined by his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis). His friend Major Norwood gets him his drugs.It's Schwartzman doing his slacker thing. For his fans, this may be interesting. Indie filmmaker Robert Byington is not strictly mumblecore. His dialog is not mumble but it has much of the indie sensibilities. In the end, there isn't much going on with this character. It's hard to tell if he cares or is he just scared like when he runs out on a sure thing with a girl. It makes it hard to care about him.

themissingpatient Jason Schwartzman is Larry, a pill-popping alcoholic who lacks any ambition whatsoever. When Larry isn't getting fired or looking for a new job he can make a joke of, he spends his time visiting his grandmother in a nursing home and talking to his dog.Schwartzman seems to be the go-to actor for insightful, comical and somewhat dark character studies. Though he is quite charming in this quirky role, 7 Chinese Brothers isn't really insightful at all. There are a few funny moments here and there but when the film takes a more serious, dramatic turn towards the end, the most unpredictable thing is how inconsequential everything turns out to be.It's a sad story about a likable loser, like many of the characters Schwartzman plays. When it's revealed why this character is the way he is, it makes sense but it's hard to feel anything for him due to his unwillingness to admit his true feelings and embrace the opportunities given to him.

Steve Pulaski Bob Byington's 7 Chinese Brothers is less a film and more an idea, a thought, or even a potential TV show pilot. At seventy-one minutes in length, it's a film that practically questions what can be done with a film that has no cogent plot and relies on one simple, yet complex, character and his circumstances, most of which caused by his obnoxious attitude or his general indifference. On that basis alone, the film shouldn't be half as successful as it is, but through its feet-dragging narrative, practically impulsive structure, and low stakes, I did admittedly enjoy this film.This film isn't laugh out loud funny, nor is it particularly compelling or insightful. It gives us Larry (Jason Schwartzman), a man evidently in his early thirties, living alone with his bulldog, who gets fired from his restaurant job minutes into the film for sneaking drinks at the bar. He wanders over to Quick Lube for an oil change, asks the cute manager girl for an application, and soon enough, he's working for an incorrigible man named Jimmy (Jimmy Gonzales), who encourages him to steal any spare change out of customers' vehicles. On top of all that, he's constantly going back and forth to the nursing home to visit his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis), who remains his last living relative, in addition to seeing his friend Major Norwood (Tunde Adebimpe).Larry is the kind of character only Jason Schwartzman could play to great effect, for he conveys multiple different feelings with nearly every line or facial expression he conjures up. Larry is also the kind of character that acts like he has everything under control and that his cleverness and falsified feelings of self-worth will carry him to the places he needs to be. The problem is Larry really isn't half as good as he thinks he is, and this results for a lot of awkward scenarios thanks to Larry's random jokes/physical comedy and a multitude of impulsive, inappropriate actions that have consequences on his part.Schwartzman has to carry a lion's weight of Byington's film on his back, and with that, succeeds because without a dynamic screen presence, 7 Chinese Brothers could've fallen apart in its first few minutes. But because Byington keeps the film moving, through fluid scenes that reflect humor and believable, albeit rather light, drama and never stalls into romantic or comedic clichés, the film, in turn, keeps moving and assembling a fun and breezy personality.I have no idea what relevance the title has towards the story, nor can I figure out the takeaway from this film other than life can pass you by if you think you're funnier and more important than you actually are. However, through very little in the way narrative structure and flair and glamour, Byington has made 7 Chinese Brothers work almost solely on the charisma and dynamic talents of his leading actor, in addition to making this a largely fun, project. At the end of it all, I can admire that.Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Olympia Dukakis, Tunde Adebimpe, and Jimmy Gonzales. Directed by: Bob Byington.

jakob13 Bob Byington has a following. No doubt about it. They flocked to the IFC in New York to see 'Seven Chinese Brothers'. And after the showing, to quiz Byington on his film. As everyone who has seen the film discovers that the narrative is thin gruel. Jason Bateman is plays the 'nebbish' Larry, who drinks his life away in small doses. A loner, he finds companionship with his dog Arrow. Talented that he is, he should never play against a dog nor a child. Olympia Dukakis does a cameo as his grandmother, who leaves him a spanking almost new Mercedes, but not her million dollars that goes to Larry's buddy Major, an aide at the nursing home grandma resides. She knows her Larry who won't make much of his life. In the end, Larry find a life of sorts at a lube shop with a pretty manager whom he has a thing for. But, will it work out, we cannot say for sure. One thing, Byington lets us in on is that in the end, Larry has found a sober zen moment with Arrow as this film ends after 75 minutes. What about the title? 'Seven Chinese Brothers' is a well known children's book. by Claire Huchet Bishop in 1938. Still in print today, it is a standard in library children's room. Bishop retells simply a story of seven Chinese brothers whose collective strength put a check on an evil emperor who cannot escape his downfall. No hit of a hero in Larry. Quite the contrary. Some posit, Byington had a kung fu in mind. Sorry old darlings. The nearest to a Kurosawa that 'Seven Chinese Brothers' comes to that genre is that Larry is a loner...a ronin, a masterless samurai. Forget about that thought. If the film has any strength it's Arrow and Bateman who a much underrated actor and la grande dame that is Olympia Dukakis. Wait till the DVD comes out, for the price of admission is not worth opening your wallet.