The story of two men who share a meaningful friendship is told in anti-Hollywood fashion in the new film Spring Forward.

The topic of male bonding doesn’t come to the silver screen too often and when it does, the audience is often given the story of a man and a boy in which one, through perseverance and desperation, befriends the other.

However, Spring Forward ventures past the Hollywood standard and engrosses the audience in a film about two men who befriend one another in an intriguing tale.

The story begins with Paul (Liev Schreiber) working his first day on a new job. Just released from a small stint in prison, he wants to get his life back on track.

He tags along with co-worker Murph (Ned Beatty) and learns the ropes of the small town’s municipal engineering position.

Over the course of the next year Paul and Murph become good friends as they discuss their purpose in life, share experiences from their past and offer one another emotional support.

The one drawback of Spring Forward is that the cinematography fails to impress in the least aspect. At parts throughout the film, it appears as though the scenes were shot at different time periods and then hodge-podge spliced together.

Despite its drawbacks, however, this film is a great example of the old adage, You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Upon seeing a trailer, poster or synopsis for Spring Forward, one might think the story would be bland and highly uninteresting, but the actual film is a pleasant surprise.

The story is highly character-driven and relies on this aspect to further pull the audience into the plot. The development of Schreiber and Beatty’s characters makes for a very satisfying story through both sadness and laughter.

Spring Forward is currently playing at Regal Downtown West Cinemas 8.

Rating: B