The word, “perseverance” is what makes this film unique to me and is the reason why I am recommending it. Perseverance is a trait that I do not see anymore with people and their commitment to friendship, love, and relationships.  In this comedy-drama, we experience a loser brother, Toph (Tyler Labine), reconnecting with his estranged hotshot younger brother, Cooper (Chace Crawford) in the small town that they both grew up in through a thrilling survival experience in the mountains.

The logline states:

“Two estranged brothers who reconnect at their mother’s wedding drive to a family cabin, but the trip turns into an unexpected struggle for survival.”

This film sort of reminds me of The Winter’s Tale, a Shakespearean play that goes from a comedy and turns into a drama after an extreme event. In The Winter’s Tale, a bear comes out of nowhere to eat and kill one of the main characters, which marks the switch from comedy to drama. In this film, the two brothers encounter hardship on the mountain and need to find a way back home by hiking through the woods. While staying at a survival shelter, Coop, the responsible brother, eats a few pot cookies on an accident that were packed by his foolishly loving older brother. Cooper gets way too stoned and walks out of the shelter to take a leak and then proceeds to fall over a steep ledge of the mountain, breaking his leg in the process. Suddenly, the whole tone of the film changes and the two are in deep trouble because now Toph has to make all the big decisions and safely get his brother back down the mountain for medical help.

The two encounter hardship after hardship, and Coop continues to tell his brother to leave him there. But Toph never gave up on his younger brother, no matter how hard the situation was. There was a point in the film where a big snowstorm hit, and Toph gave all those clothes off of his back to keep Coop warm.

What I really enjoyed about this film is how likable Toph was despite being a colossal screw-up. This is because despite how badly ashamed his younger brother is to his family, he still had no hatred or animosity towards him, all he had was love. Toph could have quickly just left his brother on the mountain and let him get eaten by a bear or mountain lion while he got help. Toph never gave up on his brother or his family.

This film’s message is to honor your family. Perseverance.

I really enjoyed Tyler Labine’s performance as Toph. He made me laugh a lot, and he even made me cry. I really hope to see more of him in movies in the future. His performance touched me so much to the point where I felt like he was actually was my friend. I wish I had a friend like Toph.

Friend’s and family don’t abandon each other on the mountain. If this is something that you have forgotten, then watch this film.