''Harry and Max'' (alternative title ''Harry + Max''), is a 2004 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Christopher Münch Christopher Münch (born June 17, 1962) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Biography Münch was born in 1962 in Pasadena, California and grew up with his mother in La Jolla, San Diego. When he was 15 years old, he direct ...

and starring

Bryce Johnson Bryce Owen Johnson (born April 18, 1977) is an American actor. Early life Johnson was born in Reno, Nevada. He has an older brother, Brendon, and a younger brother, Brett. He moved to Denver, Colorado, at the age of five. He graduated from high ...

and

Cole Williams Cole Williams is an American film and TV actor. He has films including '' North Country'', and '' Harry + Max'' (playing a gay teen idol). He also had a recurring role as Anthony W. on ''8 Simple Rules''. Williams was born in Los Angeles County ...

Plot

The film centers around

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...

brothers, Harry (Johnson), and Max (Williams). Harry is at the end of his career while Max is just starting his. Harry is

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ...

, whereas Max is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

and, despite his youth, has come to terms with his sexuality. During a camping trip, matters get further complicated by a partial resumption of an incestuous affair between the brothers. The fallout from this further muddles both their lives, as they attempt to understand their feelings for each other and to protect each other in a world in which everybody, including their own mother, seems to want to take advantage of them.

Cast

as Harry *

as Max * Rain Phoenix as Nikki * Katherine Ellis as Brandi * Roni Deitz as Roxanne *

Tom Gilroy Tom Gilroy is an American director, writer, actor, producer, playwright, poet, musician, and teacher. Gilroy has written, directed and produced five films, including the award-winning short ''Touch Base'' and the critically acclaimed feature ''Spri ...

as Josiah *

Michelle Phillips Holly Michelle Phillips ( Gilliam; born June 4, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Described by ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine as the "purest soprano in pop music", she rose to fame in the mid-1960s with the folk rock vocal ...

as Mother * Justin Zachary as Jordan * Max Piscioneri as Max, Aged 9 * Mark L. Young as Harry, Aged 15

Awards

''Harry and Max'' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

References

External links

* 2004 films American teen drama films 2004 drama films American LGBTQ-related films Films about incest 2000s LGBTQ-related drama films 2004 LGBTQ-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{LGBT-drama-film-stub