The National‘s Mistaken for Strangers turned out to be less of a traditional rockumentary than a fascinating portrait of two brothers who couldn’t be less alike. Now, Zach Galifianakis has his heart set on turning the story of brothers Matt and Tom Berninger into an intense, emotionally harrowing theatrical production, as chronicled in this excellent new Funny or Die clip.
Kindness of ‘Strangers’: 6 Things We Learned From the National Doc
Galifianakis — burnt out by his turn in the off-Broadway production of Shrek and in search of a role with more depth — stars as National frontman Matt Berninger’s younger brother Tom. In the clip, Tom was hired as a roadie, but brought along a camera on his own accord to document an experience that turned out to be way less boozy and wild than he expected. As for the role of the comparatively staid Matt Berninger, Galifianakis tapped none other than his Bored to Death co-star, Ted Danson.
The clip finds both Galifianakis and Danson channeling their rawest, realest emotions in their attempt to recreate this tale of brotherly strife and redemption. They do, however, get some help from the real Berninger bros, who walk the actors through the film’s climactic scene where Matt climbs through the audience and Tom guides his microphone cable. Still, it looks like Galifianakis and Danson’s performances will be fueled by their own brewing tension, which culminates in the latter knocking over a portable wardrobe and storming off in a huff, saying, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” To which Galifianakis aptly responds, “Ok. Cheers.”
The real Mistaken for Strangers is now available to watch on iTunes and via the film’s website, and comes complete with over 55 minutes of bonus features.
As for Galifianakis, the comedian has been quite busy this year: Not only is he working on a new pilot for FX with Louis C.K., but he recently choreographed Kevin Drew and Feist in the video for “You in Your Were,” and even got to interview President Barack Obama on a special episode of Between Two Ferns back in March.
