Review: The Incoherents

Release date: April 28, 2020
Running time: 103 minutes
Starring:  Jeff Auer, Alex Emanuel, Kate Arrington

The Incoherents tells the story of a promising rock / punk band that, after releasing its first album, abruptly disbanded when lead singer Bruce (Auer) opted for a more stable life rather than the life of a rocker.  Years later, he decides he wants to give it one more go and get the band back together.  However, these now forty somethings have to navigate a changed world in order to make it in the modern rock scene.

As a movie about a fictitious band, the first thing that strikes you is the music.  The Incoherents has a great soundtrack with really entertaining music from the namesake band.  The band itself has a fun punk rock style that has a classic quality to it.  It will pick you up during the shows / rehearsals and keep you rocking out throughout this charming film.  But the movie doesn't just feature music from the namesake band; there are good songs and a variety of styles in this movie.  Each band that the Incoherents plays with or runs into has a different feel to it and those are represented perfectly in the songs that they sing.  Although it skews more towards classic and punk rock, there is enough here to please most music fans.

The main band in the film consists of four members; and those members are a great mismatched bunch of individuals.  Each member has their own quirks and regrets from the time after the band disbanded and those issues come to life on the screen.  All the band members are fun in their own right, but the main interactions are between Bruce and lead guitarist Jimmy (Emanuel).  These two have a great chemistry and a very different style; Bruce is hard nosed, energetic, but also inexperienced; Jimmy is still in the rock lifestyle but also much wiser after being in several bands after the Incoherents.  Much of their interactions are riffing on their current predicament or trying to figure out how to get the Incoherents back to what they used to be.  But, as band members with history, there are also some more emotional scenes where they work through old beefs or reminisce about the past.  Their interactions are a joy to see and really form a lot of the fun in the film.  

The Incoherents is a quirky movie, but one that spoke to me.  It is silly and cheesy at times, but it also strikes a nice balance between your normal responsibilities and your desire to follow your dreams.  But it is also a realistic film that shows that sometimes pursuing your dreams can force you to make tough choices and have very real consequences on your current life.  Life isn't always how you pictured it, and your current predicament might not be what you thought you wanted; this film captures that perfectly.  It is a good reminder to all that you are never too old to pursue your dreams, and also that sometimes you need to take risks for your own well being.  

The Incoherents will get you to follow your dreams with its strong cast, fantastic music, and plenty of heart.

Watch it.