Dear Mr. Brody
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKeith Maitland
Produced by
  • Keith Maitland
  • Melissa Robyn Glassman
  • Megan Gilbride
  • Sarah Wilson
Cinematography
  • Sarah Wilson
  • Keith Maitland
Edited byAustin Reedy
Music byOsei Essed
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16) (SXSW)
  • March 4, 2022 (2022-03-04) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dear Mr. Brody is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Keith Maitland. The film centers on letters written to Michael James Brody Jr. (born October 31, 1948; died January 26, 1973)[1] from the general public in response to Brody Jr.'s announcement (in early January 1970) that he would give away his inherited fortune (purported to be 25 million USD) to those in need.[2]

Synopsis

When 21-year-old Brody Jr. (heir to the Jelke oleomargarine company) announced his intention to give away his inheritance to anyone in need, he ignited a spiral of events that captured the media's attention.[3][4] Brody, along with his newlywed wife Renee, became instant worldwide celebrities who were then mobbed by the American public, scrutinized by the press, and overwhelmed by an avalanche of letters responding to his offer.[1][5] Nearly fifty-years after Brody Jr.'s death, a sampling of the enormous surviving unopened letters sent to him was opened for the camera, exposing a snapshot of America's hippie, communal, zeitgeist.[2] In Maitland's follow-up to his 2016 mostly-animated documentary TOWER , he reveals the story of Brody Jr. — and the countless people who sought his help — to create an exposé on desire, need, philanthropy, and love.[6]

Release

The film had its virtual premiere at South by Southwest on March 16, 2021.[7] The film's world premiere was scheduled for the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9][10] It was also selected to screen at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2020, prior to its cancellation.[11] In October 2021, Discovery+ and Greenwich Entertainment were announced to have acquired distribution rights to the film.[5] It is scheduled to be released on March 4, 2022, prior to streaming on Discovery+ on April 28, 2022.[12][13]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 28 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Dear Mr. Brody uses its stranger-than-fiction true story to take a touching look at how an act of kindness can reverberate for years."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Knight, Michael (1973-01-27). "Michael Brody Is a Suicide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  2. ^ a b "Dear Mr Brody: how a 21-year-old millionaire started a media frenzy". the Guardian. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  3. ^ "Jelke Heir Starts Giving Away 26‐Million Legacy to All Corners". The New York Times. January 17, 1970. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  4. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (April 27, 2022). "An Heir, a $25 Million Giveaway and 30,000 Unopened Letters". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  5. ^ a b White, Peter (October 1, 2021). "Dear Mr. Brody' Lands At Discovery+ As Part Of Latest Feature Doc Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Hammond, Pete (August 27, 2020). "Remarkable Docu 'Dear Mr. Brody' Hopes For New Cinematic Life Past Cancellation Of Telluride Film Festival World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Day-Ramos, Dino (February 10, 2021). "SXSW Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup; Charli XCX Quarantine Feature To Close Fest; Tom Petty Docu Set As Centerpiece". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "Dear Mr. Brody". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (March 3, 2020). "Tribeca Sets Feature Lineup Of Films For 2020 Fest". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Beresford, Tribly; Lewis, Hilary (March 12, 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Amid Coronavirus Fears". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  11. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (August 3, 2020). "Inside the Telluride Film Festival That Would Have Been". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Zilko, Christian (February 17, 2022). "'Dear Mr. Brody' Trailer: Documentary Shows Another Side of Infamous Sweepstakes Gone Wrong". IndieWire. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "discovery+ Announces Expansive Slate of Documentaries for 2022". Discovery+. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  14. ^ "Dear Mr. Brody". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "Dear Mr. Brody". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 27, 2022.

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