Two Little Boys

Review by Anthony Morris

For a film that opens with a car crash (of sorts), this pretty much starts how it means to go on.

In theory teaming up Bret McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords) and Hamish Blake as a kind of New Zealand indie version of Dumb and Dumber could work : in practice it’s one long car crash, only you don’t want to slow down and take a closer look.

Bret is the nice but kind of dim one who runs over and no-fooling kills a Norwegian backpacker in the middle of the night; Blake is his Australian-born bestie only they’re feuding because Bret finally moved out of their share flat after a lifetime spent joined at the hip.

Bret doesn’t know where to turn in disposing of the body; Blake isn’t much more clued-in but he’s a lot more enthusiastic about the idea.

Bret is sort of playing to type but is too passive and dull to warm too, while Blake becomes increasingly unpleasant in ways that rapidly make him outright unlikable.

The story never nails down it’s tone, swinging from quirky comedy to black comedy to buddy comedy without managing to make the comedy part funny, but if you want to see a lot of New Zealand countryside it certainly gets a showing off here.

0.5 out of 5

Two Little Boys
Australian release: 15th November, 2012
Official Site: Two Little Boys
Cast: Bret McKenzie, Hamish Blake, Maaka Pohatu, Russell Smith, Erin Banks
Director: Robert Sarkies