The Hudson Brothers
Dale Hudson (Matt Damon), an inventor at heart, lives with
his mentally challenged brother Red (Jake Gyllenhaal) on a
farm in Iowa. He dreams of greater things, probably because
his father, West (Christopher Walken), never really amounted
to anything in his life and has been, since the age of 15,
labeled a nut after his alleged "run-in with a Cyclops".
Dale’s life, though, is not going as well as one would hope
at thirty. He practically lives in a local bar, works and
sleeps on a small farm with his brother, and always finds
himself awkward around the women he likes.
Inspired by his constant conversations with his older
brother about new and exciting invention ideas, Red tells
Dale about a "flying machine" he’s been thinking about that
could make them famous and take them across the ocean to
live a better life in Australia. This is the story of two
brothers, in 1910 Iowa, who set out to invent an airplane,
not knowing it already exits.
-- Script Pitch III Host Commentary --
by Lee Tistaert and Stephen Lucas
Lee's Analysis:
There was a concept sent in during the first Script
Pitch round entitled Dirty Money that this reminded me of,
in that it’s sort of a stupid but fun, quirky idea. Matt
Damon and Gyllenhaal are two very good actors in my book,
and so trusting that they can play these characters
believably is very easy, and it would be a duo that I could
look forward to seeing. One questionable factor is their age
difference, as Damon is nearly 10 years older than Jake.
There is a comparison to Stuck on You with the
brothers, but if their interplay has a different level of
goofball fun, then that can possibly make up for that. You
don’t want it to be a rip off of Dumb & Dumber, but there
can easily be a road you can travel in the writing where you
stand your own ground in the type of comedy. This could
either be a light fun flick or quite an enjoyable trip at
the movies: with this duo, the latter is definitely
achievable.
Stephen's Analysis:
This film could go one of two ways. On the one hand, I
can imagine walking in the theater to see this and walking
out, satisfied, having seen a well-acted, touching film. But
on the other hand, "The Hudson Brothers" runs the risk of
being too soggy where it needs to be fresh and interesting.
Reading this pitch reminds me of Steinbeck’s "Of Mice and
Men" in both a good and bad way. I always felt "Mice" was a
beautiful story, but due to Steinbeck’s bloated writing, I
never connected with his words.
Similarly, the outcome of "The Hudson Brothers" lies
greatly in the hands of its writer and director. First
what’s needed is a smart, heartfelt script. Next, there
needs to be a skilled director to take the script on. Unlike
many pitches I’ve heard, however, I can really feel
comfortable with what I picture in my head. The "other hand"
scenario seems more out of the question than it happening.
Only other suggestion: don’t cast Damon for the role:
go with someone more interesting, new, and unusual. Besides,
Jason Bourne is busy saving the world.
Rating: B+
