Jason Schwartzman is Larry, a pill-popping alcoholic who lacks any ambition whatsoever. When Larry isn't getting fired or looking for a new job he can make a joke of, he spends his time visiting his grandmother in a nursing home and talking to his dog.

Schwartzman seems to be the go-to actor for insightful, comical and somewhat dark character studies. Though he is quite charming in this quirky role, 7 Chinese Brothers isn't really insightful at all. There are a few funny moments here and there but when the film takes a more serious, dramatic turn towards the end, the most unpredictable thing is how inconsequential everything turns out to be.

It's a sad story about a likable loser, like many of the characters Schwartzman plays. When it's revealed why this character is the way he is, it makes sense but it's hard to feel anything for him due to his unwillingness to admit his true feelings and embrace the opportunities given to him.

Sometimes you watch a film and wonder to yourself 'what were they thinking when they made this movie?!'--such was my reaction when I watched this new and oddly named film starring Jason Schwartzman. Bob Byington wrote and directed this strange movie and it's one that left me confused and bored.

When the film begins, Larry (Schwartzman) is a complete slacker and a bit of a loser. He's just lost a job because he was caught stealing and he doesn't seem to care in the least. What he does care about are drinking, taking drugs and his dog (incidentally, this French Bulldog is actually Schwartzman's dog in real life). Later, when he gets a job in a quick lube store, you keep expecting Larry to somehow show that down deep he's capable of change and will become responsible and likable...which never really happens in any meaningful way. He is, throughout the entire film, a jerk who has serious issues and who doesn't seem to care about this nor does he see much of a need to change. There is a tiny change at the end...but clearly not enough to offer any real hope for the guy cleaning himself up and achieving something with his life.

This film is quirky...almost in a Wes Anderson sort of way, which is what I expected since Schwartzman frequently appears in Anderson's films. However, the quirkiness isn't humorous...just quirky and the film never really resonates with the audience. It's strange...just to be strange. And this soon becomes tedious. Had this been a short film, it might have been an interesting character study. But at 90 minutes and with a leading character you cannot help but dislike the film dragged. No sense of reason for all this seemed evident to me at any point. A clear misfire and I can see why this film went to straight to DVD very quickly. If you care, it's out this week but I wouldn't rush to see it unless you are a die-hard Schwartzman fan or you like long and ponderous films.

7 Chinese Brothers is a song by REM. It is also an ultra low budget independent film directed by Bob Byington. Jason Schwarztman plays Larry, a lazy, lying slacker always playing stupid pranks and who drinks too much from a Styrofoam cup to make out he is not an alcoholic.

At the beginning of the film we seem him get fired from job for stealing liquor from the bar. His only friend is a nurse who supplies him with stolen pills and the nurse looks after Larry's grandmother at the nursing home. His time with his grandmother is the only time he has a grown up conversation. Apart from his grandmother his dog is the only other thing he cares about.

There is little plot to this movie. Larry gets a job at a garage valeting cars. His co-workers tell him to steal loose change. He takes a shine to his female boss, he gets fired because his boss finds out that he was fired from his previous job for stealing. In fact the same guy owned both the places he gets fired from. His grandmother dies, he plays stupid pranks to antagonise people like keying cars or throwing his hat on passing cars.

Somewhere along the line Larry grows up a little. Schwarztman plays Larry with a deadpan, downbeat comic charm. He is the only thing that keeps the film going. There is very little that happens in this offbeat film that feels long even though it is only 75 minutes long.