Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. contingent and Happy Thursday to the rest of the world!

’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card (2012) dir. Todd Sklar

Content Warning: Language, some mild nudity, some rude humor.

Today’s selection involves a family gathering, but not one around the Thanksgiving table. Jim and Dave are two squabbling adult brothers forced to hang together when their father dies. The rather heavy opening conceit of this mostly goofy comedy – the short focuses on the brothers’ relationship over any of the circumstances that brought them back home – gave me pause about sharing this one today. As did some of the Always Sunny-style humor, like a bit about autism that’s called out as ignorant, but may be more ignorant than the movie understands.

But the star of the show is the central conflict of the short – generally the childhood rivalry brought into early adulthood and specifically a dinner table physical comedy setpiece that builds its absurdity masterfully. I saw this film at a festival about a decade ago and that scene is what stuck with me with its depiction of a competitive urge that runs so deep, nobody need say it aloud when the game is on.

“’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card” – an absurd title, made funnier by its poster thumbnail just being the basketball card itself – was expanded into a feature with the less cumbersome title Awful Nice. The humor has trouble spreading out over feature-length space, I don’t think it will come as a surprise that these characters – like some family, come to think of it! – are best in shorter visits.