Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire

Real-life brothers Derick and Steven Martini play Chris and Toni Remi--nicknamed, respectively, Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish by their half-Indian grandmother, in order to reflect their early temperaments; or, in an even more plausible explanation, because first-time writer-director Kevin Jordan simply wanted a catchy attention-getting title for his $40,000 movie. Certainly the romantic and occupational travails of the twentysomething Los Angeles siblings--Chris is an accountant, Tony is a would-be actor--comprise all-too-familiar material, and there's nothing in the strictly functional direction or, at times, borderline amateurish acting that helps elevate the story either. For wearing a ribbed condom, one brother gets dubbed "Corduroy Penis" by his girlfriend. Perhaps that might have made an even catchier title. Not recommended. (T. Rich)