Odd-Couple Buddy Road Movie

FOLK HERO & FUNNY GUY (B+) - This surprisingly authentic and effective buddy movie pits everyman Alex Karpovsky as a neurotic struggling comedian against gruffy pretty boy Wyatt Russell, playing a successful pop star.

The incongruous pair are believable as longtime friends whose fortunes have diverged. This is the inspired writing-directing debut of character actor Jeff Grace, and he's got a touching story to tell and a winning touch with his cast.

Russell's Jason is guarding against burnout by doing a low-key acoustic tour of the East Coast, and he invites Karpovsky's Paul to come along as his opening act, urging him to ditch his boring freelance life and finally pursue his stand-up dream. Things get complicated on the eve of the tour when they spot Bryn (Meredith Hagner) at an open-mic and Jason invites her to open, as well.

Grace avoids love-triangle tropes with this traditional set-up, and he keeps things loose with some apparent improv, including a winning exchange between the guys in the car listing their all-time favorite dude solo acts. (Karpovsky's parody of an imaginary Springsteen tale is particularly charming.)

Karpovsky (HBO's "Girls," "Supporting Characters") finds depth in this irascible loser, still reeling from getting dumped by his fiancee. ("That's why I don't date hot girls," a comedy-club pal (Michael Ian Black) tells him.) Paul stubbornly sticks with his dud of an amateur set, drawing crickets every time he tries his riff on e-vites. Russell ("Ingrid Goes West") brings playboy Jason down to earth, particularly with his own pathetic lovelorn maneuver that brings things to a climax. Hagner is wildly appealing as a three-dimensional character whose future does not depend on either of these two goofballs.

Melanie Lynskey and David Cross are perfect in second-half cameos, the latter as the passive-aggressive host of a community radio station morning show. Unlike Paul's shtick, the lines land cleanly here, and there is heart to spare. This one could sneak up on anyone.

BONUS TRACK
The soundtrack is rife with songs by Adam Ezra, as well as originals from Russell and Hagner. But as the credits hit, we're treated to this 1967 nugget from Brenton Wood, "The Oogum Boogum Song":