The story begins with Shepard pitching his producer friend, Nate Tuck, on a film called "Brother's Justice." Outside the title and basic premise -- an action movie starring Shepard as the main hero -- Shepard is reluctant to give up any details on the actual plot. According to Shepard, if he told everyone the story, they wouldn't be as willing to pay for tickets to see it in theaters. Nate is reluctant to follow Shepard into the project, but eventually signs on as the two seek out people interested in the project.
The duo first approaches Shepard's agent, who quickly shuts down the idea. He's not convinced that Shepard can make it as an action star and, well, he kind of needs a plot. From here, they approach directors Andrew Panay and Jon Favreau, as well as Ashton Kutcher, who are all just as skeptical as Shepard's agent.
Although Brother's Justice is staged, it is clear that not everyone had an idea of why they were being filmed. Most of the film is improvised, so it is fun to try and tell who is in on the joke and who is not. A lot of the segments aren't faked. Shepard really did go on Carson Daly's show to pitch the film and did appear on the Teen Choice Awards. The aftermath of the talk show is real, though I'm not sure about the Teen Choice Awards blurb. Even Shepard's rough training session with a martial arts instructor is real.
The only person who is all-in on the joke (other than Shepard and Tuck) is Tom Arnold, who steals the entire movie. Shepard is funny, but Arnold is outright amazing. Both play clueless narcissists, but while Shepard tries to keep himself likeable, Arnold has no problem indulging in the character's egotism. Every time Arnold is on the screen, something great happens.
Again, Shepard is good, and while his character is colorful, it isn't much different than the character he usually plays. Really, Shepard shows just how important a strong straight man is to a comedy duo. Tuck is not as into the role as Shepard, so his character doesn't come off as well as it could. This results in an unbalanced film. Some scenes are great -- anything with Arnold, plus a scene towards the end with Bradley Cooper and David Koechner - but the film isn't that good.
The bigger problem at play is Brother's Justice is a one joke movie. No matter how much you like Dax Shepard, or his style of comedy, the joke runs its course and burns out within the first thirty minutes. Other than Shepard's clueless stumbling through the pitch process, there's nothing else going on, which is a shame because there are at least 2 - 3 other subplots that at only hinted at, but never explored or just rushed over.
Brother's Justice isn't something you'll want to snag on Blu-ray. The transfer is nice, though there usually isn't much to the images. There are a lot of scenes in white offices, drab homes and the occasional garage. The only time the movie really goes for something grander is during a series of fake trailers, though even those are intentionally made to look less-than-impressive.
The movie is light on extras, but there a few good ones tucked away on the disc. Some of the deleted scenes add a little more to the film, though I can see why some were cut. Like the rest of the film, the extra Tom Arnold bits are gold. Also included is a mini-movie, "Drillin' Deep," which is an extended version of one of the movie's fake trailers. The commentary track is probably the best in the bunch. Although it doesn't offer a lot of background information on the film, it is fun to listen the banter.
After that, there are a few great scenes, though they are more a product of the additional actors and not the film. I actually like Shepard and wanted to really like Brother's Justice. Yet, it is a half-baked comedy in desperate need of more structure, plot and character.
Brother's Justice is, at best, a rental.
