Jon Brion had a definite advantage growing up since he belonged to a very musical family. His father was a band director at Yale, his mother was a singer, and his brother and sister both became a composer and a violinist respectively. Despite this however he had trouble in high school and eventually left to start playing music professionally when he was 17 years old. From that point on he joined one band after another and started out on his musical trek until he finally found the path towards becoming the composer he is today. He’s written the original scores for quite a few movies and proven that the musical qualities of his family are firmly embedded in everything he does.
That’s a huge advantage for anyone to have.
5. This Is 40
Pete and Debbie are having issues with turning 40 and as their lives have continued to unravel they both start realizing that as much as they’ve done in their lives they still haven’t accomplished everything they want. The idea of turning 40 is something that seems to scare them both so much that they begin to have a breakdown that sends them both off the deep end for a while as they try to come together and figure out that for better or worse, this is their life together.
4. Step Brothers
Brennan and Dale can’t stand each other at first, which is pretty silly since they’re both middle-aged men still living with their parents. When Brennan’s mother marries Dale’s father however and they eventually move in the couple finally give the two an ultimatum as they can’t see themselves caring for their sons in the same way for the rest of their lives. Of course things tend to go a little nutty and Brennan and Dale eventually become great friends.
3. Punch Drunk Love
Barry’s the kind of guy that’s just fed up and needs someone in his life to feel balanced and normal in his own way. His sisters berate him constantly, he’s taken advantage of by a phone sex operator and threatened continuously, and all of this threatens any chance of happiness he could have with Lena, whom he’s come to care about. So what does Barry do? He finally gets aggressive and comes clean about the phone sex operator after intimidating the person to leave him alone, and the story reaches a happy ending.
2. Magnolia
A series of interconnected stories takes place as several characters throughout the movie go through their own trials and tribulations, finding ways to either ignore or get through their own painful situations while pushing the story forward. It’s kind of a confusing movie unless you watch it all the way through since there’s a lot going on and it really takes paying close attention if you want to keep up on what’s happening.
1. Ladybird
It’s very easy for teenagers to not understand how good of a life they have when they yearn for something so much more. Ladybird is the kind of teen that wants something different than she’s had in her life, but doesn’t understand that everything she wants comes with a price. Only near the end of the movie is she finally appreciative of what it was she had, and those that helped her along the way.
Most of his movies are very meaningful and are reflected by that in the scores he composes.
