(2012) 3 Perry Seibert For the Duplass brothers' particular style of storytelling to work, they need to find very small moments that have overwhelming significance for their characters. To that end, they've cooked up a rock-solid premise with The Do-Deca-Pentathlon. The movie stars Steve Zissis and Mark Kelly as Mark and Jeremy, two middle-aged brothers who are decades deep into a sibling rivalry that's pretty much defined who they are as individuals. When they were teenagers, they invented a 25-event competition that ended controversially and led younger brother Jeremy to talk smack about it to Mark for years afterwards. When Mark, whose doctors have told him to avoid stressful situations, brings his wife and son to his mother's house to celebrate his birthday, Jeremy, now a professional poker player, makes a surprise appearance. He immediately begins jabbing at Mark's psychological wounds, and pretty soon the two are attempting to redo their epic contest on the sly -- Mark's wife doesn't want him to have a breakdown. As with all films by the Duplass brothers, the actors make or break the project, and the duo at the heart of this picture deliver. Zissis is quite good, especially in the movie's opening third: Mark seems to choke on everything he says because he's so full of repressed anger. Kelly turns Jeremy into the perfect antagonist as he takes great pleasure in needling his brother, while also understanding that this constant confrontation is the only way he can show Mark that he cares about him -- he's a douchebag with a heart of gold. There aren't many surprises in The Do-Deca-Pentathlon -- we can see the plot twists coming fairly easily -- but the actors are appealing and the Duplass brothers have gotten very adept at knowing when to cut away from a scene. Even though their films maintain an improvised feel, none of the sequences linger; once they make their dramatic point, the next one starts. Couple that efficiency with the movie's short running time, and you've got a small, simple, and successful indie.

cast-crew for The Do-Deca Pentathlon on AllMovie

The Do-Deca Pentathlon (2012)

rate it

The Do-Deca Pentathlon

editor rating

user rating

mpaa rating

genres

Comedy

sub-genres

Farce

category

Feature

directed by

countries

USA

release date

July 6, 2012 (USA - Limited)

run time

90 min.

produced by

Duplass Brothers

released by

Red Flag Releasing

Submit corrections

cast

Steve Zissis: Mark

Mark Kelly: Jeremy

Jennifer Lafleur: Stephanie

Julie Vorus: Alice

Reid Williams: Hunter

crew

Jay Duplass: Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Camera Operator
Mark Duplass: Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Stephanie Langhoff: Producer
Jas Shelton: Cinematographer
Julian Wass: Composer (Music Score)
Marguerite Phillips: Musical Direction/Supervision, Set Designer, Costume Designer, Makeup
Jay Deuby: Editor
Nat Sanders: Editor
Ross Partridge: Co-producer, Set Designer, Costume Designer, First Assistant Director, Still Photographer
J.M. Logan: Associate Producer, Post Production Supervisor
Josh Polon: Associate Producer
John Chalfant: Sound/Sound Designer, Re-Recording Mixer
Sasha Freedman: Camera Operator
Tod Campbell: Camera Operator
Tom Clancey: Camera Operator
Alex Lipschultz: Sound Mixer
David Mann: Sound Effects Editor
Jon Fletcher: Associate Editor
Xander Lott: Sound Effects Editor