We’ve seen Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in projects before. They’re also friends away from the set. That’s what makes this new project for Apple TV—where they play lightly fictionalized versions of themselves—so much fun.
The new series, Brothers, has an interesting premise. The pilot episode, “On the Road,” plunges us into the world and the twists that will keep them together.
On the road to Austin
We begin with Woody at home in California. He’s hiding outside trying to avoid what’s happening. Inside, it’s a steady stream of tears and some questions. His daughter, Olive (Highdee Kuan), had her relationship implode. As one might expect, she’s a complete wreck, but it’s a lot for Woody to handle.
He gets summoned by his wife (Brittany Ishibashi) to help console his daughter. But as his wife and two daughters (Kuan and Oona Yaffe) are a bundle of tears, Woody is heading for the door. He announces that he’s planning to head to Austin to visit his friend Matthew. His wife looks at him like he’s crazy, suggesting they all need to be together as a family. That leaves Woody seeming paralyzed and a bit out of his depth.
Working on a speech
Meanwhile, we head down to Austin, where Matthew has problems of his own. His father’s old number is being retired at his high school, and it’s up to Matthew to write a speech. Despite plenty of dedicated time to work on it, he can’t seem to find the right words. So, he’s pacing and writing, with his wife (Natalie Martinez) and Ma Mac (Holland Taylor) looking on. As he’s trying to find the groove, a bus pulls up. It’s Woody, and he’s brought his family.
Woody found a compromise. Instead of escaping to Austin alone, he’d take everyone. Matthew is happy to see his old friend and happy for them to stay, but he needs some quiet. Woody agrees that’s no problem — but it turns out to be a big problem. Woody finds Matthew in his study, and after interrupting him plenty, he invites him out for a drink. Reluctantly, Matthew agrees.
But, like everything else, this ends up a wild ride. First, Woody books them an Uber Pool. It’s not the ride Matthew hoped to find, and they end up kicked out. Then, the duo gets picked up by a TMZ reporter. While it’s a productive ride — and Matthew is finally able to get out of his head and finish a draft— it ends up in an unexpected place. Woody has the driver take him and Matthew to a rodeo.
There, having finished his speech, Woody convinces Matthew to live out his dream and ride a bull. He gets on, but the ride doesn’t last long. Worse yet, Woody was supposed to protect the phone, but instead it gets stomped and destroyed. Along with it, Matthew’s speech is lost. He is rightly angry, and the two fight and decide to find their own way home.
A potential wrinkle
Woody arrives back first and announces the family is going to head home, but they have to charge up the bus first. He’s hanging out while the rest of Matthew’s family heads to the school, but not Ma Mac. She’s having a morning cocktail when she shares a story that indicates she knew Woody’s father. She goes further, suggesting they may have had a fling. It’s enough to make Woody wonder if he and Matthew are, indeed, brothers.
Meanwhile, Matthew finds a beautiful off-the-cuff speech to honor his father. It’s a sweet moment that puts a lot of things in perspective. In the wake of his successful speech, he heads back home to make things right with Woody.
Despite the bombshell, Woody is ready to head back home with his family. But before he can, Matthew hops in front of the bus. Woody gets out, and Matthew offers an apology. He also shares that he’s decided to run for governor, and he needs Woody and his family to stay and help with the campaign. Woody agrees, and due to this revelation, he decides to keep the rest of his conversation with Ma Mac to himself.
This was the first of a two-episode premiere for Brothers. The episodes are about a half an hour, which helps them move at a great pace. I really enjoyed the rapport between McConaughey and Harrelson. The comedy that naturally flows in this setup. This has the potential to be wild and a lot of fun.
Brothers streams Wednesdays on Apple TV. Check back as we recap the action of the whole season right here.
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