I was born and raised in New Jersey, so I am quite familiar with this Orson Welles' broadcasting event and even though it took place before I was born it is well known by me and probably everyone there. It's a true story, but it has a folklore feel to it. This little, sweet film barely covers the broadcast itself. It show the effects on the population in another small nearby town in a comedic way. It's well shot, well acted by all and while it's nothing special, it is a nice little movie showing what something like this can bring out in people, both good and bad. Humans can be silly things. Tony Hale of "Veep" fame is the lead and he is good, but like I said, so is everyone. There's a humorous running gag about a Polish boy who is in this a lot without a single word of dialogue. He seems more sane than many of the New Jersians shown here.
11 Reviews
Opportunity Lost
jonbadart21 June 2018
Had fairly high hopes for this film. Thought it might be one of those little diamonds in the rough you come across every so often. At least the story seemed to offer potential, but alas, in the end, there was little to feel good about except the well disciplined 1:26 run time.
I suppose there were a few bright spots, though certainly not in the drawing out of the characters. Instead of this small town being populated with a few delightful, original odd-balls, what we get instead are mostly unlikeable, two-dimensional cardboard cut outs. I mean, when the character whose scenes you're most looking forward to is a kid (Grace Kaufman), that tells you a lot.
Maybe I should have gone 4 stars, but the film was easy enough to look at, and like I said earlier, they did at least keep it short.
I suppose there were a few bright spots, though certainly not in the drawing out of the characters. Instead of this small town being populated with a few delightful, original odd-balls, what we get instead are mostly unlikeable, two-dimensional cardboard cut outs. I mean, when the character whose scenes you're most looking forward to is a kid (Grace Kaufman), that tells you a lot.
Maybe I should have gone 4 stars, but the film was easy enough to look at, and like I said earlier, they did at least keep it short.
Not that bad
agore313 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The movie evolves around the people in a small town reacting to the Orson Wells War of the Worlds broadcast that led to mass hysteria.
It comes across like one of the Twilight Zone episode character study of people under stress. It comes across as a TV production. It tries to tackle some issues like God and meaning of life since death may be imminent. This results in various parallel stories by various characters.
It is definitely missing tension, a little slow, and no real dramatic conclusion. Delivery. The production had a sterile feel.
It comes across like one of the Twilight Zone episode character study of people under stress. It comes across as a TV production. It tries to tackle some issues like God and meaning of life since death may be imminent. This results in various parallel stories by various characters.
It is definitely missing tension, a little slow, and no real dramatic conclusion. Delivery. The production had a sterile feel.
Like watching badly mixed paint dry
hond-9206414 August 2017
This movie suffers in the first place from a boring and disjointed plot. And that is a kiss of death for any film. It starts there. The basic plot situation makes one sit up - the doings of a number of people in an small town in the New York area who believed the by now legendary radio play that Orson Welles did with the H.G. Wells story War of the Worlds - a story about the Martians attacking earth. It was done in the form of news announcements and according to legend many people believed it was true and panicked. Brave New Jersey sets out to tell story of a number of them. And right there it all falls to pieces because the description of the plot is the most exciting part. For the rest it is mediocre acting, bad story line, boring characters... in fact mediocre soap opera. Don't bother with this movie. Rather stare at the wall.
Booooooooo
postalbros29 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Trailer was deceiving. The movie was slow and boring, and the music was well matched. Was a long, excruciating 90 minutes. It seemed soooooo much longer. In the last two minutes she finally leaves her husband, kisses Mayor Loser, and they walk away happy
lame!
Even though my brother and I hated this movie, you might like it Don't say we didn't warn you.
Even though my brother and I hated this movie, you might like it Don't say we didn't warn you.
This is an earnest movie, which is its biggest draw and worst problem.
Blazehgehg1 July 2021
This movie is a period piece, centering around a sleepy little town and their reactions to Orson Welles historic "War of the Worlds" broadcast -- as the story goes, this broadcast was interpreted by some as a real attack from outer space. And so, the movie has its premise, as this farming community is thrown in to chaos on Halloween night, believing they are about to be invaded by martians.
"Brave New Jersey" is cartoonish in its depiction of 1938 rural America. These don't feel like people, and they don't even feel like characters. The interpretations are modern enough, but most of them feel like they're templates being pulled from a book of "small town" archetypes.
A preacher experiencing a lapse in faith. A burned out war hero trying to recapture former glory. An overweight, inept sheriff. A soft spoken protagonist who can't find the words when it comes to the woman he loves. She herself is trapped in a marriage with a man that clearly doesn't care about her as anything other than a trophy. And so on. These people were given one note to play, and they play it loud and hard. You know what's going to happen to them the moment they finish their first sentence.
Though the movie is billed as something of a comedy, this simple characterization isn't the joke. The joke is, "isn't it silly people really believed this was happening to them?" There's a real story here, these people truly believe they're about to die, and it has a message behind that idea, but it feels really cutesy and trite. The drama feels cut short by the silly vibe, and the silly vibe doesn't really land because it's still trying to have legitimate drama. At times, when the two halves clash the hardest, it can be legitimately difficult to watch. It's oil and water.
Between those moments, the movie just feels kind of dopey, and saccharine, and occasionally even a little anachronistic. Nobody acts like this, and nobody ever acted like this. Any of the good vibes this movie tries to trade in are completely lost on me because it can't decide what it really wants.
Cannot recommend.
"Brave New Jersey" is cartoonish in its depiction of 1938 rural America. These don't feel like people, and they don't even feel like characters. The interpretations are modern enough, but most of them feel like they're templates being pulled from a book of "small town" archetypes.
A preacher experiencing a lapse in faith. A burned out war hero trying to recapture former glory. An overweight, inept sheriff. A soft spoken protagonist who can't find the words when it comes to the woman he loves. She herself is trapped in a marriage with a man that clearly doesn't care about her as anything other than a trophy. And so on. These people were given one note to play, and they play it loud and hard. You know what's going to happen to them the moment they finish their first sentence.
Though the movie is billed as something of a comedy, this simple characterization isn't the joke. The joke is, "isn't it silly people really believed this was happening to them?" There's a real story here, these people truly believe they're about to die, and it has a message behind that idea, but it feels really cutesy and trite. The drama feels cut short by the silly vibe, and the silly vibe doesn't really land because it's still trying to have legitimate drama. At times, when the two halves clash the hardest, it can be legitimately difficult to watch. It's oil and water.
Between those moments, the movie just feels kind of dopey, and saccharine, and occasionally even a little anachronistic. Nobody acts like this, and nobody ever acted like this. Any of the good vibes this movie tries to trade in are completely lost on me because it can't decide what it really wants.
Cannot recommend.
Very entertaining
glangendoen25 August 2017
Just like "Aluvayers" said : a remake of the classical movie. I was hoping this movie was a lot like "The Night That Panicked America (1975)" and i wasn't disappointed, in fact this one was even funnier. And of course the whole nostalgic view of the radio days and the dangers of people scaring themselves with the unknown. Good Job !
Tonal Shifts Ruined It For Me
mikeferguson14 August 2022
You know how sometimes you find yourself really getting into a piece of music (let's say, some Classical piece), where it's soothingly melodic and you're thinking "this is so beautiful"...and then, out of nowhere, it just explodes into a big noisy section that totally doesn't fit with the earlier parts, and it rips you out of your reverie, leaving you thinking "why'd they ruin such a beautiful thing?"
We'll, that's how I feel about Brave New Jersey. I was thinking as I watched the opening twenty minutes or so "this is just what I needed tonight": a nice quiet character study, woven around the 1938 Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre Halloween eve radio broadcast of H. G. Well's "War of the Worlds", one of the most famous "fake news" examples of the 20th century.
But the abrupt changes of tone that several of the key characters underwent throughout the course of the film jarred me out of the nostalgic bubble the earlier dialogue had created, and left me once again thinking "why'd they do that?"
I'm still glad I finally got around to seeing it; there are some fine performances by some actors who deserved a better script, and "the look" of the film was really quite beautiful overall, but those tonal shifts will ruin a good story every time - and unfortunately, this was one of those times.
In closing, if you've never yet had the true joy of listening to the original radio broadcast that reportedly really did manage to scare the daylights out of a great many people (remember, this was a time when radio was the main news and information source in the country, the looming war in Europe had everyone on edge, and the effects of the Great Depression were still very much evident), there are still available today excellent, clear as a bell copies to listen to all over the internet, and I'd urge you to find one, turn out the lights, and imagine yourself back in that time...you may just want to go hide somewhere, too!
Peace! MFF/Honolulu 8-14-22.
We'll, that's how I feel about Brave New Jersey. I was thinking as I watched the opening twenty minutes or so "this is just what I needed tonight": a nice quiet character study, woven around the 1938 Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre Halloween eve radio broadcast of H. G. Well's "War of the Worlds", one of the most famous "fake news" examples of the 20th century.
But the abrupt changes of tone that several of the key characters underwent throughout the course of the film jarred me out of the nostalgic bubble the earlier dialogue had created, and left me once again thinking "why'd they do that?"
I'm still glad I finally got around to seeing it; there are some fine performances by some actors who deserved a better script, and "the look" of the film was really quite beautiful overall, but those tonal shifts will ruin a good story every time - and unfortunately, this was one of those times.
In closing, if you've never yet had the true joy of listening to the original radio broadcast that reportedly really did manage to scare the daylights out of a great many people (remember, this was a time when radio was the main news and information source in the country, the looming war in Europe had everyone on edge, and the effects of the Great Depression were still very much evident), there are still available today excellent, clear as a bell copies to listen to all over the internet, and I'd urge you to find one, turn out the lights, and imagine yourself back in that time...you may just want to go hide somewhere, too!
Peace! MFF/Honolulu 8-14-22.
Just dreadful
aabinger1 March 2023
A comedy? You ar supposed to laugh while watching a comedy, right? I found this comedy oddly devoid of humor. The pace is slow and slower. As a period piece, I found many anachronisms. It's supposed to be set in New Jersey. It doesn't look like new Jersey - even in the 1930s. I know. I live in New Jersey and my family has since the 18th Century. It looks more like rural Kentucky. A film should grab you and draw you in. This one left me wondering what was on TV. My parents were alive during this time. They did not believe that Martians had landed. Most people didn't. I think a film based on Orson Wells' adaptation of what might have happened if Martians had actually landed would have made for a much better film. Otherwise, watching Buckaroo Banzai is a better use of your time.
A remake of an old classic movie.
aluvayers21 August 2017
I found the movie to be refreshing and easy to watch. The acting was done very well. The plot never lost my attention. I will watch it again and I highly recommend this film as a good family watch. It has all the components needed to hold you on the edge of your seat, mixed with a little humor and enough drama to come off cleanly believable. I loved it.
What if tonight was your last night?
solojere2 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Minor spoilers (ignore the haters)
Brave New Jersey follows the true story of a small New Jersey town on the night of Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, as citizens face what they think is their last night on Earth. Ultimately, this is a story about what would you do if today was your last day on Earth. What would you do? Who would you spend it with? While a lot of these ideas have already been examined in other movies and TV shows, such as Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, I still thought this movie was very good at making you think about what it is that is really important in the world. The fact that it is a true story adds another layer of depth to it as real people were faced with these questions, even if it was just for a single night. Also, the fact that this film take s place in a time before TV, cell phones, and the internet added to the feeling of paranoia and just how much fear can affect how we act as individuals and a society, which I think is relevant in today's society. The acting was also well done, and I really liked all of the characters and how they interacted. Anna Camp did a great job of presenting a complex character in a time when women were basically second-hand citizens. However, the ending left a little to be desired. I really wish Anna Camp's character had more closure and a proper ending to her story. I refuse to believe she went back to being that guy's girlfriend at the end. Nevertheless, this was a fun movie and defiantly worth watching. Especially around Halloween.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
