Before Y2K, Catch Up On This Kyle Mooney Gem

Kyle Mooney’s entertainment exploits began with the comedy group Good Neighbor and in YouTube videos, but they would not stay there. In 2013, Mooney joined Saturday Night Live, taking his notoriety in the world of entertainment to new heights. Beyond appearing in supporting roles in live-action movies like Hello, My Name is Doris and No Hard Feelings, Mooney has also scored his first professional directorial credit with the feature-length movie, Y2K. The apocalyptic high school comedy, released by A24, takes Mooney’s creative exploits to a new level of notoriety.

Just because this is Mooney’s first big screen directorial effort doesn’t mean its the first time his very specific brand of comedy has hit movie theaters. In 2017, Mooney starred and co-wrote the indie comedy Brigsby Bear, which was directed by fellow Good Neighbor member Dave McCary. Though far from a household name as a motion picture, Brigsby Bear is an incredibly charming and moving feature that deserves far more ubiquity. Before surviving Y2K, take a moment to savor Mooney’s first big foray into feature-length storytelling.

Brigsby Bear Fascinatingly Evolves Mooney’s Creative Fascinations

Through his Saturday Night Live sketches, the Netflix cartoon Saturday Morning All-Star Hits!, and other productions, Mooney has shown an affinity for classic pop culture … but taking it in a more anarchic direction. On Saturday Night Live, Mooney would often anchor very detailed satires of classic sitcoms (complete with a canned laugh track) punctuated with inexplicable establishing shots and bursts of dark violence. Y2K, meanwhile, is a pastiche of ’90s teen romantic dramas like 10 Things I Hate About You, just with more gory violence. Through these productions, Mooney’s demonstrated a fascination for intersecting the past with inescapable dark parts of present reality.

[Related: Rachel Zegler’s Y2K Trailer Released By A24]

Brigsby Bear is an interesting extension of these thematic motifs. The film concerns James Pope (Kyle Mooney), who lived isolated from the world for decades with a pair of people who kidnapped him as a baby. This man’s only learned about the world through the children’s TV show “Brigsby Bear.” Once he’s freed as an adult, it becomes clear that “Brigsby Bear” only existed to impart lessons to Pope to keep him from interacting with the outside world. Well, clear to everyone except Pope. Even when he’s reintroduced to his birth family, Pope harbors a burning desire to finish Brigsby Bear’s lingering plot threads. It’s time for this guy to shoot his own movie while navigating the “real world” for the first time.

This bizarre premise for a movie manages to be both engaging but also shockingly moving across its 97 minute runtime. Brigsby Bear is, without a trace of irony, an ode to art as a coping mechanism. The beauty of creating art is often the process of bringing it into the world, not just the end product. The way Pope’s oddball ambitions unite him with his neighbors and uncover artistic passions within local folks like Detective Vogel (Greg Kinnear) is incredibly sweet. Plus, McCary and Mooney’s dedication to playing Pope as someone you get invested in rather than a punching bag proves very infectious. How can you not root for such a plucky underdog?

Brigsby Bear Probes How Toxic Art Can Still Be Meaningful

It’s also fascinating how Brigsby Bear is, so far, the most insightful exploration of Mooney’s obsession with pop culture of the past. Pope’s life is guided not just by an old TV show that’s “a little problematic,” but by a program designed to keep him away from reality. It’s a toxic show … but it still means something to him. That doesn’t negate the wickedness of his kidnappers or the evil undercurrent of the original Brigsby Bear program. However, McCary and Mooney use this feature to explore how meaningful art can come from anywhere, even from downright insidious places.

It’s a nuanced approach to processing art handled incredibly well and thoughtfully in Brigsby Bear. As a cherry on top, the feature is also deeply funny in addition to its thoughtful and emotionally sweet qualities. Mooney’s very specific comedic acting style is extra humorous when applied to a character like Pope, who’s been removed from conventional society all his life. Meanwhile, supporting players like Kinnear and even a cameo from Andy Samberg score memorable laughs as well. These moments of levity accentuate the deft tonal balance that Brigsby Bear pulls off with flair.

Sadly, despite its endless artistic virtues, Brigsby Bear didn’t set the box office on fire during its initial theatrical release, topping out at just $532,669. However, as Brigsby Bear demonstrates, art doesn’t need to be world-famous to be meaningful. This comedy gem has an incredibly charming air and poignantly multi-faceted approach to appreciating art that makes it a winner. Whether you see Y2K in theaters or not, Brigsby Bear should rocket to the very top of your watchlist.