Passenger Side (2009)

94% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(365 ratings)

Brothers, Tobey and Michael (Adam Scott) unexpectedly embark on a wacky adventure in a beat-up BMW to find the love of Tobey's life. The road, filled with odd places and characters entwines these fraternally opposite brothers in absurdly hilarious exchanges on their views of the world. As the… More Brothers, Tobey and Michael (Adam Scott) unexpectedly embark on a wacky adventure in a beat-up BMW to find the love of Tobey's life. The road, filled with odd places and characters entwines these fraternally opposite brothers in absurdly hilarious exchanges on their views of the world. As the brothers begin to discover their lives, as "passengers of life," they realize they've been kept at arms length for far too long until life's amazing forces culminate in a mind-blowing twist of fate. -- (C) Strand Releasing

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Matt Bissonnette
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

On DVD: Oct 26, 2010
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Simple and smart, Canadian director Matt Bissonnette's Passenger Side is what's known in theatre circles as a two-hander, a two-person play in which everything depends on dialogue and performance.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Bissonnette achieves a hypnotic effect with Passenger Side. L.A. slides by in a daze, at once inviting and threatening. Michael and Tobey are just two Canadian dreamers in a city where dreams often die.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
Passenger Side works through its angsty family-drama-oriented premise with a sarky script, a healthy sense of self-awareness and an amusingly deadpan performance from Adam Scott.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Here's one of those shuffling, slovenly American indies that can seem vain and inconsequential, or inviting and oddly profound, depending on the talent involved.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Enjoyable, well directed indie road movie that's by turns laugh-out-loud funny and quietly moving, thanks to a sharply written, nicely observed script and pair of pitch-perfect performances from Adam Scott and Joel Bissonnette.
Shaun Munro, What Culture
Passenger Side is strictly a chamber piece. That chamber just happens to be the bustling, visually diverse landscape of Los Angeles.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
The siblings are a bit like Sense and Sensibility's Elinor and Marianne: quaint but somehow universal.
Cath Clarke, Guardian [UK]
Funnier and more intelligent than there are any grounds to hope for: an entertaining, wry tour of LA's scuzzier sights.
Adam Woodward, Little White Lies
Bissonnette sidesteps the pitfalls of the indie road movie in some style.
Nev Pierce, Empire Magazine
A joy from start to finish. Bissonnette has crafted a unique, funny indie.
Tom Dawson, Total Film
There's nothing earth-shattering here, but the acting's credible and the wrap-up unexpected.
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
If genre demands that this sort of story should finish in fraternal reconciliation and a never-ending horizon of happiness, Bissonnette prefers to brake and reverse - and the result, though surprising, feels all the more true to life.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
It?s nothing ingenious, but those in the mood for a touch of visual poetry to their familial torment might find plenty to enjoy about this modest drama.
Jim Slotek, Jam! Movies
An intriguing and funny ride that doesn't hit you over the head trying to be one thing or another.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Adam Scott, Joel Bissonnette, Robin Tunney, Gale Harold, Greg Dulli, Rachael Santhon, Kimberly Huie, Maja Miletich, Penelope Allen, Vitta Quinn Director: Matt Bissonette Summary: Michael (Adam Scott) reluctantly agrees to chauffeur his estranged addict brother, Tobey… More
Cast: Adam Scott, Joel Bissonnette, Robin Tunney, Gale Harold, Greg Dulli, Rachael Santhon, Kimberly Huie, Maja Miletich, Penelope Allen, Vitta Quinn Director: Matt Bissonette Summary: Michael (Adam Scott) reluctantly agrees to chauffeur his estranged addict brother, Tobey (Joel Bissonnette), around Los Angeles to run errands after his car breaks down -- even though Tobey calls out of the blue, unaware it's Michael's birthday. As the day finds them revisiting old issues and lost loves, the two brothers learn some unexpected lessons about family -- and each other -- in this indie drama. My Thoughts: "It's an simple Indie film. No action, no thrills, and not much of anything goig on that's exciting in this film. It's just two brothers on a road-trip around L.A. in search for Theresa, the love of Tobey's life. What you also get are two brothers bantering back and forth and some very interesting encounters along the way. It is a funny film if you like sarcasm and odd characters. Not the best road-trip/Indie film, but not a bad one either."
Christopher H

Basing the entire film around Scottâ(TM)s trademarked cynicism creates a genuine Indy classic worthy of mainstream status. The fact that Adam Scott has not made more of a stir in the commercial film world is mind boggling, but to have a star like Scott floating around in the Indy… More
Basing the entire film around Scottâ(TM)s trademarked cynicism creates a genuine Indy classic worthy of mainstream status. The fact that Adam Scott has not made more of a stir in the commercial film world is mind boggling, but to have a star like Scott floating around in the Indy world is a refreshing new experience in many Indy films including his huge success in The Vicious Kind.