Nick Morgan has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad has nothing but a backpack. When Conrad shows up for a surprise visit, all he wants to do in town is go to the infamous Manson Family murder sites. 2 brothers. One is a devoted family man. One is devoted to The Family.
The Manson subtext not only gives the film a darkly comic bent, but deepens its emotional context. This little film is both familiar yet not, marking the debut of a unique voice.
All its disparate parts don't quite come together, but it's exactly the kind of oddball vision that might never get a major push from a brand name if not for the Duplasses.
The film is gently funny, if a bit too slow, but the bizarro story line takes it to unexpected places and doing something different in the film industry right now is a much needed thing.
It's rare that anything associated with Charles Manson can put a smile on your face but J. Davis' confident debut does just that, making for a surprisingly sweet and thought-provoking cinematic journey.
Manson Family Vacation proves Nick and Conrad are better when they are together and Davis wisely keeps their relationship at the center of the film, no matter what the two brothers encounter on their journey together.
Manson Family Vacation isn't a buddy comedy or a road movie, though it has aspects of both. It's very funny, but unafraid of intense emotional catharsis.
It's a measure of the film's dramatic balance as well as its emotional integrity that both of these men will wind up eliciting the viewer's sympathy and scorn at different points.
