Break Point (2014) Reviews

• The comedy is simple and fresh and you won't regret watching it ... Hope you enjoy it.

  Aktham_Tashtush2015-07-21

  The movie story is really sweet,, the idea is new and the plot is perfectly clear and the events grows smoothly .. the comedy is really nice, simple and easily understandable and followable , Jeremy Sisto is a good well known actor and as his second try as a script writer it really shows that he got some talent ,, as the screenplay got some "about a boy" style in it's start or maybe i'm still affected and stunned by it's cancellation but it is a nice story for a thirty something years old guy to be a mentor like for a kid from school .. then the real story about the brothers reveals itself, to finally a reasonably strong ending ,, the only thing is the movie felt really fast to me, but i think it is a plus point counts to the editing and directing because the story might'v gotten boring if they added more branches to the story, so i think after all things went smoothly in that matter. As for the cast, Jeremy Sisto is really funny,, David Walton is awesome , loved him from about a boy , here maybe the script was a bit unfair for him like doesn't mean he wasn't funny especially the scenes with the kid but he could'v been a lot funnier. Also it was a Nice touch bringing actors like J.K. Simmons, Amy Smart and Adam DeVine but also they could'v gotten a couple of funny lines to make their characters pops a little . and sure the little kid ,. Joshua Rush he's got some skills ;) Overall,, the movie already won Newport Beach Film Festival award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking ,, it is not an Oscar .. but it is a huge recognition for a movie still officially to be released on the 4th of September this year,, so bravo ... the comedy is fresh and you won't for a second regret watching it. hope you guys enjoy it ;)

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• Hilarious! A great little movie about brothers.

  Ramascreen2015-09-01

  This is fantastic little movie about family and brotherhood and even if you don't know much about tennis, you'll find a thing or two that you can appreciate about BREAK POINT. Funny and heartwarming, a pleasant surprise. Great ensemble cast: Jeremy, David, Amy, Vincent, J.K. and Joshua are a delight to watch. One of the things appealing about BREAK POINT is that there is strength in its simplicity. Whereas other movies would spend a lot of time and try too hard to be all profound when it doesn't need to be, BREAK POINT accomplishes depth and profundity in just 90 minutes and it doesn't shove them down our throats. Yes, it's a comedy, but one that's so engaging with themes that are so common, this is a comedy that leaves you feeling hopeful in the end whatever the result of the tennis match may be. There's a bit of 'Rocky' in there, there's a bit of sibling friction and a bit of mentorship as well, you can't help but like BREAK POINT, it's simply irresistible and effective. Jeremy Sisto plays the reckless man-child Jimmy who's at his age when other tennis players just don't see him as having any future in the sport, his last partner drops him just as he's planning to enter a grand slam tournament, and so in desperation, he reaches out to his childhood partner, his estranged brother Darren whom he dropped years ago. Darren, a more reserved and conservative tennis player still feels the hurt after all these years but after being convinced by an 11-year old named Barry who looks up to him, Darren decided to take his brother up on his offer and so goes their journey to train together and re-learn and re-discover their game once again while finding out what it means to be brothers. This Jimmy and Darren dynamic reminds me of the Odd Couple, as if Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar were on the Tennis court. The jokes are rated R but they're on target and edgy, Jeremy Sisto in particular gets to say the best lines in this film, and young actor Joshua Rush excellently holds his own in the midst of these two adult brothers trying to prove themselves once more. And in a way, it's also a dudes type of movie and I don't mean that in a sexist or one-sided manner, what I mean is that the way the brothers resolve their conflict is like any regular dudes would, meaning whatever resentment we may have, we can easily shrug it off, sometimes, not in all cases, but we don't talk about it for hours, we'd pull a 'forget about it' card and that's why I think BREAK POINT speaks more truth than most of the movies about brothers I've seen out there.

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• Highly recommended

  carlobustamante2015-07-27

  Best movie about tennis & family! There's comedy. There's drama. And yes, there's tennis. Although I couldn't watch it yet with my kids due to some scenes w profanity (my 10yr old daughter who plays varsity), Im definitely going to watch it again with my wife. The characters were hilarious and likable. Its about tennis. Its about life. Its about redemption. And yet, the ending isn't something you would expect. Even non-tennis viewers would surely like. I've seen Wimbledon the movie. I've seen Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach. All of them were "okay". But none of them compares to this. Beautifully written, touching and heartwarming. Made me fall in love even more with the game. And also appreciate family, after all "Every family has its faults".

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• Two brothers who just cannot let go of their baggage takes a humorous approach

  Ed-Shullivan2017-08-10

  Tennis anyone? Well the story line surrounds two brothers, older reckless brother Jimmy (Jeremy Sisto) and his sensitive kid brother Darren (David Walton) who at a young age took to competitive tennis. Jimmy won a few tournaments leaving his kid brother behind and feeling abandoned when their mother dies. So although the film focuses on Jimmy's desire to reach for the top when he is way past his prime age (35) for professional tennis, Jimmy through the process of elimination and left with few alternatives convinces his kid brother Darren, to enter into a qualifying pairs tournament that if they win could get them a starting position in a major pairs tournament. The film actually evolves around an out of shape Jimmy who would rather drink to excess and irritate everyone around him and his strained relationship with his kid brother Darren. If you can get through the first 20 minutes of what I felt was more of a documentary style of filming, you will be rewarded with a better result by the end of the film than I had expected. There is a decent supporting group of characters which includes J K Simmons as the two brothers father named Jack who operates a veterinary clinic with his attractive assistant named Heather (played by Amy Smart) who as teenagers chummed around with Darren and Jimmy. As we get to know the two brothers personalities we recognize that Jimmy is an extrovert and Darren is an introvert. Jimmy's brashness has bugged younger brother Darren since they were kids and Jimmy in no uncertain terms tells Darren if he still has a crush on their father's veterinary assistant Heather, he better step up to the plate and tell her so that he can do the bedroom tango with her which has been Darren's desire for too many years. There is also some witty side humor provided by character actors Chris Parnell, Adam Devine (you may know him as Andy on the hit TV series Modern Family) and a young boy named Barry (played by Joshua Rush) who is in dire need of a father figure since he lives with his grandmother. Young Barry tries extremely hard to latch on to his supply teacher for the summer who happens to be the depressed Darren, but Barry keeps receiving more unsolicited fatherly advice from a belligerent source that being Darren's older brother Jimmy. There are sufficient characters and multiple story lines to keep the audience engaged. I would not try and compare it to the more successful 2014 feature film "St. Vincent" starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, and a young star named Jaeden Lieberher, but I did feel that there was an attempt by both films to make us aware that boys who are fatherless will look for someone, anyone, to provide them with some level of male guidance and any attention, be it good or bad attention. Overall, I liked the film and I think it is well worth watching if you can just be patient and get through the first 20 minutes or so of dribble. It would appear that the inexperienced film director Jay Karas should stick more to TV series (as his resume is almost entirely focused on TV series) than feature films. Maybe that is what held the film back. Either way I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 rating.

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• Can Be Quite Crude But Also Quite Funny & Warm-Hearted

  larrys32016-03-08

  This indie has lots of raw language and some sexual references, but it also can be quite funny and, as it progresses, can get increasingly warm- hearted. Both Jeremy Sisto and David Walton are excellent in their lead roles as brothers Jimmy and Darren Price respectively. They're polar opposites in personality and have been estranged for a number of years. They had been successful amateur tennis doubles partners, but shortly after their mother's premature death, Jimmy left Darren in the lurch to join a hotshot tennis pro as his partner. However, Jimmy has burnt one too many bridges behind him and is now desperate for a doubles partner to try and qualify for the Alerian Open, in Palm Springs. Thus, he'll finally approach his brother, as a last resort, to play with him. They'll be plenty of "bumps in the road" as the two will try to put aside their differences. As usual, J.K. Simmons is most solid as their father Jack, a veterinarian, and Amy Smart adds well to the mix as Heather, a possible love interest for Darren. However, it's 11-year-old Barry, wonderfully portrayed by Joshua Rush, who often "steals the show" here. All in all, this movie ably directed by Jay Karas, with a fine script from Gene Hong, can get silly right near the end, but overall, if you don't mind the crudeness, I found it to be rather funny and a pleasant surprise.

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