The Civilization of Maxwell Bright

Starts off a little rough, but evolves into a sensitive, moving experience
I picked this DVD largely for very shallow reasons.....the cover picture. I like Patrick Warburton from his Seinfeld appearances and was curious about his attractive co-star. The first fifteen minutes, however, left me wondering about the wisdom of my choice and that of Mr. Warburton. In amateurish, hand-held porno-grade video, our man Patrick (alias Maxwell Bright), completely naked for all to see, is depicted having a profane, physically violent altercation with his similarly (un)attired girlfriend on a public street. Bystanders, police, and the audience are all left gaping at the spectacle, while Pat/Max, spouting some seriously politically-incorrect epithets at everyone involved, is finally silenced by his disgusted, hoe-swinging girlfriend. As my wife eyed me from across the room, contemplating what punishment I should face for picking this train wreck, we both considered pushing the STOP button on the DVD player and calling it a night. I am glad we didn't.

What...

The Civilization of Maxwell Bright - Perhaps The Most Surprisingly Good Movie I've Seen In Years
The Civilization of Maxwell Bright has the grainy appearance of low budget filming and a story that seems tailor made for Lifetime Television or late night Cinemax. So it's only natural to think that the bare bones production probably produced an unimpressive movie. And yet, I found this movie to be engaging and powerful.

The story does not break familiar ground. All the clichés under the sun are here. An over-aggressive type A American man thinks the cure to his woman problems will be a submissive Asian woman. The Maxwell character will remind you of dozens of disgruntled controlling men portrayed in many movies. They don't hide from the cliches; in fact they embrace them. All sorts of taboos are touched upon here: sex, religion, and displays of polical incorrectness that will make you laugh and cringe from one moment to the next.

But the way the story unfolds feels so real...

For those who worship Warburton
This film is mostly for people that think Patrick Warburton is the hottest man in the world. For those who wanted to know what he looks like in boxers, in swimming trunks, in Speedos, then this is for you. We see much more of him than we were fortunate enough to see in "Big Trouble." In fact, he gives us his all, if you know what I mean. He doesn't stay on screen as long as M.C. Gainey blessed viewers with in "Sideways." Really, if you blink you'll miss it. Still, for those who have wanted to see Warburton as a main character, rather than a peripheral one and who want to experience more of his corporeality, then this is for them.

This is a low-budget, indie film. You can tell by the few cast members and the way the camera focuses on small areas of space. This film has several of what Brad Pitt called cigarette burns in "Fight Club." The character played by Simon Callow wears an earring in his right ear, though he has a wife on-screen. If this weren't made before...

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