Rent Brian and Charles (2022)

If You Can't Find a Friend, Build One it's as Simple as That! - Brian and Charles review by Strovey

Despite the quirky daftness of the film the overriding driver is friendship and loyalty. Wrapped up in oddity and utter silliness, after all David Earl, a staple of many Ricky Gervais productions, where he often plays disgusting, near-perverts, is the titular Brian but this time his oddness is a lot nicer. From this point all things in the tale grow. The underlying strength of the story is demonstrated by Charles, basically a pair of legs poking out of a huge square washing machine shape topped off by a virtually immobile mannequin head, who becomes a character that you invest in and care about. A fine skill by the actor and co-writer Chris Hayward.

It is clear director Jim Archer and the writers' Earl and Hayward, who play the main roles, invested seriously in the film so that you are effectively charmed and not alienated by it being utterly daft which to an extent it is. Then to top it off just to add some more charm, maybe even ladle some on, adding into the mix Hazel, sweet and socially awkward like Brian, played with some skill by Louise Brearly.

The drama in what would definitely be a slight and odd tale comes from the antagonists Eddie, his wife and twin daughters, embodying meanness, dishonesty and an external ever-present threat. Refreshingly it is this pressure that puts a strain on the ups and downs of Brian and Charles’ relationship and not the usual contrivance of a romantic partner doing this.

The film is neither taxing on your emotions or going to cause you to cry with laughter but making you gently smile for the majority of its runtime at the silly shenanigans framed amongst some stunning and inventive shots of remote Welsh countryside means, to be frank, it is a hard heart that sets against Brian and Charles.

Perhaps the faux documentary style is the weakest point and if you pay attention you have to ask – is this a faux documentary or a straightforward tale and what are the documentary makers filming and why? Throughout the film I was constantly ruminating that this was a construct so that David Earl could use his trademark fourth wall-breaking asides that are a trademark of his work with Ricky Gervais.

I concede this is a churlish point to make about a film such as this, when all we should take from this is no matter our disagreements, no matter our lifestyles, all are valid and none can override or overshadow true friendship. Being someone’s real friend is as close to choosing your family as you can get.

If that is not a good message to pass on to the masses I do not know what is.

Brian and Charles is slight, enjoyably silly and has the best robot since Twiki first looked at Gil Gerard and said 'biddie-biddie-biddie'.

A live action Wallace & Gromit - Brian and Charles review by PT

If you are looking for a film to banish the winter blues then this joyous slice of British silliness is the one. Its infectious warmth simply bulldozes any carping about the slightness of the plot and the on/off mockumentary format into irrelevance.

an almost perfect Welsh independent film that is heart-warming and funny - Brian and Charles review by MM

From the opening scenes knew this would be a great ride. It tackles loneliness, isolation, friendship, AI, and bullying perfecting and yet almost every scene just makes you want more. It seemed to go by so fast. the acting is flawless. David Earl is outstanding. The premise is so wonderfully quirky that it just keeps you laughing. What actually works is that the robot is simply so bizarrely put together is steals the show. (of course you know its a man in a suit) it reminded me of Zachary Smith and the robot in Lost in Space, but this works better. we need more films like this. Watching this made my day.