Demetri Martin Shines in Otherwise Average ‘Dean’

Elizabeth Stanton

Known for his low-key brand of humor and quirky illustrations, comedian Demetri Martin is stepping into the auteur world with his new movie “Dean,” in which he not only stars but writes and directs. It’s an intimate and personal story of loss and love, peppered with an all-star cast in major and minor parts on his journey to acceptance.

The movie opens with Dean and his father Robert (Kevin Kline) visiting the grave of his mother (and wife, respectively), who’s been gone roughly a year. The two men are facing the problem of grief very differently. Dean is still listening to voicemails from his deceased mom and ignoring deadlines for his new book of illustrations, which are increasingly dark and feature the Grim Reaper. Robert is tackling it head-on in a practical way with therapy, reading, walks, and plans to sell the family home, much to Dean’s dismay. They debate the merits of selling, even as Robert meets with a realtor named Carol (Mary Steenburgen) and begins plans without Dean’s approval.

While Dean struggles with his dad, he serves as one of two best men at his friend Brett’s (Reid Scott) wedding. He proceeds to make an idiot of himself, dropping the rings, staring at his ex-fiance in the crowd, and bumbling a speech that results in the other best man trying to start a fight. Another old friend, Eric (Rory Scovel) encourages him to come hang in Los Angeles, and follow up on an offer from an advertising company that Dean’s been avoiding. Feeling lost, he makes the trip to la la land.

For Dean, Los Angeles is a town full of non-creative creatives, like the dude-bros at the ad company (led by Beck Bennett, working a treadmill desk) and crazy women, like his old pal Becca (Briga Heelan), an actress who just really got into improv. But at a party with Becca, he meets the lovely Nicky (Gillian Jacobs), a dream girl so perfect, he sees her in slow motion (and of course makes a pratfall in embarrassment). He almost loses her, but they finally flirt and exchange numbers before she disappears again. After a dull night on the town with Eric, she texts him, and he decides to extend his trip in Los Angeles, avoiding his dad and his problems back home.

While he experiences the beginning of a whirlwind romance of fun in the sun with Nicky, Robert begins a flirtation with Carol, the realtor. Both men slowly discover there is life beyond loss, but not without significant bumps in the road.

The film itself It’s a mix of comedy and drama, very much in Martin’s voice, telling an intimate, personal story about handling grief (Martin lost his father at 20). Anyone going through a loss will recognize Dean and Robert’s feelings of apathy, distance, and even frustration with each other over how to move forward. Kline is effective as widower Robert, who can’t quite wrap his head around the loss of his wife and his budding relationship with Carol.

It’s also well-directed by Martin, who compliments the story with his simple line drawings to express Dean’s emotional struggles, or even just to drive a quiet punchline home. Other visual touches, like comic book-style panels breaking up montages, and side-by-side comparisons of Dean and Robert add subtle layers of connection between the two, even as their loss drives them further apart.

That being said, the movie isn’t exactly breaking new ground in a lot of areas. The “Los Angeles is full of phonies, and New Yorkers are inherently better in many ways” tone of the California scenes is the same old criticism lobbed at the West Coast for ages. Can you believe actresses in Hollywood are weird? And the guys there are good looking jerks? Who knew? Martin doesn’t undermine expectations much with some of the plotting and characterization, particularly when it comes to perfect hip girl Nicky. We discover minimal character elements about her beyond her hipness, her work that allows her to simply float through life financially, and a third act reveal that threatens their romance. It all feels like very standard indie film storytelling, and the few places he does try to upend the usual tropes don’t impact much in the long run of the story—least of all Dean’s actual journey.

Overall, “Dean” is a relatively enjoyable entry in Martin’s career. His unique visual touches add a lot to an otherwise run-of-the-mill indie dramedy, hinting at a potentially interesting future in directing for the star.

“Dean” opens in theaters June 2.