7 Chinese Brothers

Jason Schwartzman and friend in 7 Chinese Brothers 

Bob Byington's 7 Chinese Brothers, from 2015, is an interesting character study that does not drag in the course of its 74 minutes. This is mostly due to the full-bodied and unironic portrayal of the hapless and obnoxious protagonist, Larry, by Jason Schwartzman. The arc of the story, with Larry taking baby steps on the road to adulthood, is slight. Larry is fired from one Mcjob and gains another. He loses his closest living relative, but gains a friend. The template of this Austin based drama is Linklater's Slacker. Indeed, Byington once collaborated on a reimagining of that film entitled Slacker 2011. Like Linklater, Byington excels at coaxing memorable vignettes from his supporting cast. Eleanore Pienta and Stephen Root are particularly sharp. 7 Chinese Brothers knows its limits. It is good, lean indie filmmaking. A termite instead of a white elephant.