Passenger Side

Subdued almost to the point of distraction, Passenger Side follows brothers Michael (Adam Scott) and Tobey (Joel Bissonnette) as they spend the day driving around Los Angeles in search of something that Tobey initially keeps secret – with the bulk of the proceedings subsequently revolving around the pair’s various conversations and their encounters with a series of off-kilter figures (including a transsexual prostitute, a man missing two fingers, and a drunk hitchhiker). Filmmaker Matthew Bissonnette’s excessively understated modus operandi is, at the film’s outset, threatened by a pervasive emphasis on relentless quirkiness, as the writer/director stresses the sarcastic banter between the central characters to an almost aggressive extent – thus ensuring that the viewer is effectively left craving anything even resembling authenticity or genuineness. There inevitably does reach a point, however, at which Michael and Tobey’s palpable chemistry together becomes impossible to resist, with the two actors ultimately transforming their respective characters into compelling, fully fleshed out figures whose back-and-forth rapport boasts the sort of familiarity that one associates with siblings. It’s nevertheless worth noting that, despite the easy-going vibe and the effectiveness of Scott and Bissonnette’s work, one’s ongoing efforts at wholeheartedly connecting with the material fall disappointingly flat, as the movie’s unabashedly low-key sensibilities tend to hold the viewer at arm’s length from start to finish – although, to be fair, there is one sequence towards the end of the picture that makes an unexpected emotional impact (eg Michael, with brutal honesty, summarizes his less-than-successful existence for Tobey). The final result is a fairly affable endeavor that admittedly does grow on the viewer as it progresses, with the movie’s phenomenal soundtrack and Scott’s eye-opening performance ranking high on its list of small pleasures.

**1/2 out of ****