The directorial debut of comedian and author Demetri Martin, Dean is a comic drama exploring loss and grief with a sense of humor. Martin plays the title character, a New York cartoonist facing a creative block after the death of his mother. Kevin Kline costars as his widower father, who is trying to move ahead by selling the family home, something his son refuses to consider or discuss. Dean wallows in denial, struggling with cartoons that constantly turn into dark, sardonic pieces featuring the Grim Reaper as well as the fiancée he bailed on. Overwhelmed, Dean runs away on a business trip to the West Coast, where he falls in love with a sunny, free-spirited woman (Gillian Jacobs), extending his stay in order to get closer to her. Dean is one of those mopey, nerdy characters we're supposed to like even though he is completely self-involved and inconsiderate and it's to Martin's considerable credit as a performer that we actually do. The more interesting story, however, belongs to Kline and Mary Steenburgen as the real estate agent who starts the widower pondering: is he ready to move on with another relationship? The character of Dean may be snarky and judgmental but Martin's film is compassionate and sweet, if also overly precious and obvious. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
Dean
Lionsgate, 93 min., PG-13, DVD: $19.99 Volume 32, Issue 6
Dean
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