Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire (R)

Quicklook RatingNo Rating

synopsis

Chris Remi and his younger brother Tony have been complete opposites since childhood, so much so that their half-Native American grandmother gave them nicknames symbolizing their distinctive personalities. Lighthearted and carefree Tony is "Smiling Fish," and his perpetually pensive older brother Chris is called "Goat on Fire." Now grown, the Remi brothers haven't changed much. Having lost both their parents in a car accident, Chris and Tony live together in their childhood home in Los Angeles. At 25, Chris is a hyper-responsible accountant going through an extremely rocky patch with his longtime girlfriend Alison, who has lately begun crying during sex. Tony, barely into his 20's, is happy and carefree, a struggling actor who cheats on his steady girlfriend Nicole. Chris' workdays get a lift when he starts chauffeuring his boss' 80 year-old uncle, Clive Winters, to the office. A true romantic with the experience to justify it, Clive is a retired sound man who regales Chris with stories from his Hollywood past and of the woman he fell in love with while working on a Paul Robeson movie. Clive knows a little something about chemistry, and his insights on love give Chris pause. When the mercurial Alison rebuffs him yet again, Chris begins to look elsewhere. He meets Anna, an attractive Italian woman who works as an animal wrangler, at a Christmas party and a new romance begins. In the meantime, Tony meets Kathy, a smart, down-to-earth mail carrier who relocated from Wyoming to L.A. to help further her young daughter Natalie's acting career. Immediately taken with the youngster, Tony also finds himself attracted to her mother in a way he's never experienced. But he has to act fast, because if Natalie and Tony don't get the television part they are up for, Kathy and Natalie are headed back to Wyoming - and out of his life. Chris and Tony try to help one another puzzle out the shifting pieces of their lives. Faced with some of the biggest decisions they will ever have to make, the brothers learn that fraternal love means not only companionship and caring, but also growing up and moving forward.

details

Drama, Comedy
1 hr. 30 min.
Opened August 25th, 2000

director

Kevin Jordan

writer

Kevin Jordan

MovieGoer Review

What's with the weird nicknames and why is that the title of the movie?

Story

Chris Remi is a responsible, mostly serious accountant with the nickname Goat of Fire. Tony is his younger brother, a struggling actor who'... MORE

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synopsis

Chris Remi and his younger brother Tony have been complete opposites since childhood, so much so that their half-Native American grandmother gave them nicknames symbolizing their distinctive personalities. Lighthearted and carefree Tony is "Smiling Fish," and his perpetually pensive older brother Chris is called "Goat on Fire." Now grown, the Remi brothers haven't changed much. Having lost both their parents in a car accident, Chris and Tony live together in their childhood home in Los Angeles. At 25, Chris is a hyper-responsible accountant going through an extremely rocky patch with his longtime girlfriend Alison, who has lately begun crying during sex. Tony, barely into his 20's, is happy and carefree, a struggling actor who cheats on his steady girlfriend Nicole. Chris' workdays get a lift when he starts chauffeuring his boss' 80 year-old uncle, Clive Winters, to the office. A true romantic with the experience to justify it, Clive is a retired sound man who regales Chris with stories from his Hollywood past and of the woman he fell in love with while working on a Paul Robeson movie. Clive knows a little something about chemistry, and his insights on love give Chris pause. When the mercurial Alison rebuffs him yet again, Chris begins to look elsewhere. He meets Anna, an attractive Italian woman who works as an animal wrangler, at a Christmas party and a new romance begins. In the meantime, Tony meets Kathy, a smart, down-to-earth mail carrier who relocated from Wyoming to L.A. to help further her young daughter Natalie's acting career. Immediately taken with the youngster, Tony also finds himself attracted to her mother in a way he's never experienced. But he has to act fast, because if Natalie and Tony don't get the television part they are up for, Kathy and Natalie are headed back to Wyoming - and out of his life. Chris and Tony try to help one another puzzle out the shifting pieces of their lives. Faced with some of the biggest decisions they will ever have to make, the brothers learn that fraternal love means not only companionship and caring, but also growing up and moving forward.

details

Drama, Comedy
1 hr. 30 min.
Opened August 25th, 2000

director

Kevin Jordan

writer

Kevin Jordan

MovieGoer Review

What's with the weird nicknames and why is that the title of the movie?

Story

Chris Remi is a responsible, mostly serious accountant with the nickname Goat of Fire. Tony is his younger brother, a struggling actor who'... MORE