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Each day, in places all around the world, people struggle to survive. They struggle with relationships, struggle to pay the bills, struggle to make their dreams come true. In 1970, a 21-year-old millionaire decided to do something about it—and the documentary Dear Mr. Brody tells the whole astonishing tale.
Dear Mr. Brody follows the unbelievable story of Michael Brody, Jr., an eccentric young millionaire hippie who announced that he was going to give away $25 million of his inheritance to spread love and peace throughout the world. His announcement led to a frenzy of phone calls and letters and crowds of people camped outside his home and office, hoping to receive the money they needed. Not long ago, Melissa Glassman discovered boxes of letters in producer Edward Pressman’s storage, and her discovery led her to read the letters and reach out to some of their writers.
Told using archive footage, interviews with members Brody’s inner circle and others, and dramatizations of some of the letters that Melissa has opened, this surprising documentary is a rollercoaster of emotions. At times, it’s incredibly moving, as the filmmakers meet with people who wrote letters to Michael all those years ago. Watching these people read the words of heartbreak, desperation, or sometimes even determination builds such a powerful connection to these people—but also to the possibly hundreds of thousands of people like them.
Between meetings with letter writers and others who were connected to the story, though, there’s also plenty of humor, thanks to this wildly eccentric young man who decided to give his money away. Michael was a fascinating character: a handsome young man who just wanted to play music and help people find love and peace in the midst of troubled times. His behavior was unpredictable in the most entertaining of ways—and that caused him to attract crowds that would follow him down the streets of New York City.
For viewers today, the story of Michael Brody may be absolutely astonishing, but it’s also funny and tragic and outrageous and moving, too. More than just a story of a rich young man on a mission, it’s a story about humanity—about the struggles that so many of us face and the hope that thousands were given by this one man who wanted nothing more than to do something good for the world, no matter how flawed the execution may have been.
Dear Mr. Brody is definitely an unbelievable film—the kind that will leave you speechless—especially if you weren’t around in 1970 to witness the story first-hand. It’s wildly entertaining, but it’s surprisingly eye-opening, too.
Dear Mr. Brody arrives in select theaters and on demand on March 4, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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