FILM In Which We Disappoint Our Blind Brother
Friday, September 23, 2016 at 11:59AM 
Like Mute or Deaf, But Without Sight
by ELEANOR MORROW
Bill (Nick Kroll) really hates his brother Robbie (Adam Scott). When Robbie starts to become interested in a local Jewish woman Rose (Jenny Slate), Bill begins to weigh his many charms in front of her. They go as follows:
1) He can see.
2) He's Jewish also, and weirdly, his brother is not. How did this happen? Who knows, it's a mitzvah.
3) He is also able to watch television and not just listen to audiobooks and exercise. (see 1)
4) He is self-deprecating, which is what every woman wants. "What's wrong with you?" Rose asks him, and Bill is just like, "Everything."
5) He knows another blind guy who can secure them weed.
6) He is portrayed by Nick Kroll, whose new Broadway show Oh, Hello where he and John Mulaney play old Jews, commands upwards of $80 a ticket.
7) Nick Kroll dated Amy Poehler for two years. What was that like? It was filled with cute moments of affection, bonding moments with Amy's two boys with ex-husband Will Arnett.
8) Did I mention he was Jewish and he can see?
Now Amy Poehler dates some goofball who walks around in an Upright Citizens Brigade t-shirt. She and Adam Scott were a pretty unbelievable couple on Parks & Recreation. It seemed like he spent a lot of time trying to please her and she was never really quite there for him. Then Nick Kroll stepped in. Keeping fiction and real life straight has never been my strong suit. All I know is that Adam Scott is happily married, and that he is quite shockingly 43 years old.
My Blind Brother continues Scott's desire to recast himself as a dick in every single independent film he does. In a wonderful movie that Jason Sudeikis ruined last year, Sleeping with Other People, Scott played a disturbing and unfaithful doctor. If he were six inches taller, you get the feeling that Scott would be Richard Gere. But he's just not. Unfortunately, My Blind Brother finds absolutely nothing redeeming about Scott's character, I guess so you don't feel bad that Rose is cheating on him with Nick Kroll.
In one memorable scene, Rose and Bill are having sex on the couch when Robbie walks in full of excitement. He apologizes to both of them for how he has been acting that day, and they slowly put on their clothes. Robbie seems for a moment to catch the scent of sex on the air — how could he not? — but perhaps he prefers to put his suspicions aside. A blind man must make accommodations for the people in his life.
After thinking about it for awhile, My Blind Brother is not very revealing about what it is like to be blind. Despite his lack of sight, Robbie drives a car around in several very dangerous scenes. Somehow he also punches men in the face and knows exactly where Rose's head is when he wants to kiss it. By the end of the film, you are not entirely sure whether he was blind at any point.
Rose's friend Francine (Zoe Kazan) naturally sympathizes with the blind character. Rose tries to get her involved with Bill in order to simplify this messy situation. He is wonderful with Francine, and she takes a liking to him as well. Unfortunately, Francine is only part Jewish, and this is not a very prominent part.
My Blind Brother is not very sensitive to the feelings of any of these people. The film features many prolonged segments where Nick Kroll explains to Jenny Slate how deeply in love she is with him and how they are destined to be together. What exactly does this phenomenal pseudo-couple have in common? Nothing really — it's like this problem where two funny people meet. They think they should be together, because they have such a great time. And why wouldn't they? They're both hilarious.
Unfortunately, the quality of jokes you can make in someone's presence has very little to do with compatibility. My Blind Brother could easily have focused on physical comedy considering the circumstances, but instead director Sophie Goodhart opts for a more mopey, serious vibe. The resulting film is pleasant if a bit slight when it could take on more dramatic weight.
But perhaps that was the right choice: comedians are terrible together. Even the chemistry Slate and Kroll developed during their reality show parodies on Comedy Central's Kroll Show can't save the lack of romance here. Watching them rub their bodies against each other is like watching a woman cuddle with her best gay friend.
Eleanor Morrow is the senior contributor to This Recording.
