Blu-Ray Review: ‘Don McKay’ Fails to Evoke the Coen Brothers’ Spirit

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CHICAGO – The Duplass Brothers recently told me that they avoid making movies blatantly modeled after the work of other filmmakers because they often end up “derivative and bad.” Jake Goldberger’s debut feature “Don McKay” is living proof of this principle. It is a monumentally awkward rip-off of the debut feature from the most well-known filmmaking team of brothers in modern cinema.

I’m referring to “Blood Simple,” the 1985 neo-noir by Joel and Ethan Coen that is not merely a great film, but the type of picture guaranteed to generate excitement about the art form. The structure of the movie is so meticulous and the diabolical dark humor is so infectious that film lovers can’t help hanging on every last frame. One of the most memorable aspects of the picture is its utilization of the Motown hit, “It’s the Same Old Song,” which first emanates from a jukebox, and is heard at various points throughout the film, as if to remind the audience that the story’s blood-spattered lunacy is all in the spirit of fun.

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0

In “Don McKay,” Goldberger makes use of not one but two Motown hits, even going so far as to name his female lead after one of them. In his all-too-revealing audio commentary, the director says that his repetition of the tune “You’re All I Need to Get By” was meant to evoke the feel of a “haunted jukebox playing that same old song.” He’s not even trying to mask the fact that he’s basically just copying the Coens’ “snarky” style. When the hyper-violent climax in “Blood Simple” is followed by an ending credit sequence set to “Same Old Song,” the effect is exhilarating. When Goldberger tries the same trick in “McKay,” it just feels forced and half-baked, which is a solid way of describing the rest of the picture. The rookie director has clearly forgotten what made “Blood Simple” so appealing in the first place. What made the film funny was the fact that its characters didn’t act as if they knew they were in a dark comedy. The hammy eccentrics populating “McKay” are played by indie stars who appear to have signed onto the project thinking they were going to Disney World, but ended up getting stranded at Santa’s Village.

Elisabeth Shue and Thomas Hayden Church star in Jake Goldberger’s Don McKay.
Photo credit: Image Entertainment

It’s rare to see such a talented group of actors look so lost at sea. Thomas Hayden Church further diminishes the goodwill he garnered from “Sideways” with his stone-faced portrayal of the titular janitor, who’s a pale imitation of Billy Bob Thorton’s barber in the Coens’ under-appreciated “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” McKay’s dreary life is interrupted when he receives news that his high school sweetheart (Elisabeth Shue) is dying. This inspires him to travel back to his hometown, a place he hasn’t visited in 25 years, ever since a local tragedy garnered McKay a less-than-stellar reputation. Of course, there’s several “shocking twists” waiting to be revealed, but in order for a twist to be shocking, there has to be a credible set-up. This is where “McKay” fails on the most basic level. There isn’t a moment in the film that is the least bit convincing. The cast members overact so wildly that none of them seem to be the people we’re supposed to initially believe they are. At about the ten-minute mark, I was half-convinced that McKay was trapped in some sort of godawful neo-noir “Truman Show.”

Don McKay was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 29th, 2010. Photo credit: Image Entertainment

“Don McKay” is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio), and includes the aforementioned commentary from Goldberger and producer Jim Young. Apart from this embarrassing mess, Goldberger’s sole credit on Imdb is his work as a production assistant on “Anger Management.” He was living with his parents when Church called him and expressed interest in the project, which hadn’t even gotten financed yet. Goldberger’s story is certainly one of perseverance, and it’s impressive that he somehow managed to get the film made at all. But on the basis of this commentary, he doesn’t sound like a guy who has any artistic vision apart from the work he’s admired from other filmmakers. His writing and direction seem influenced by little more than a crowded Netflix queue. Even the best shot in the film, utilizing a dual-focus lens, was inspired by another picture, namely Bertolucci’s “Conformist.” Goldberger also admits that he initially intended on opening the film in silence, just like “Punch-Drunk Love.” It’s saying something when even the silence in your movie is influenced by someone else. Cinematographer Phil Parmet is praised by Goldberger for his ability to conform to the styles of the filmmakers he works with, though I’d be darned to find a discernible style in “Don McKay,” apart from sheer amateurish clumsiness.

The disc includes an awfully misleading trailer that makes the film seem as straight-faced as “Mystic River.” There’s also five minutes of deleted scenes, most of which center on a scrapped subplot involving Church’s long-suffering principal. It’s unclear what possessed Church to serve as executive producer on this turkey. He would’ve been better off starring in a remake of “Joe Dirt.”

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]