Instagram Reel Reviews: The comedic Aussie bro antics of reesebros

I try to be high-minded and literary (and some of the time I am), but also a lot of the time I sit around and watch Instagram reels, those 15-90 second films that people make on Instagram. Not TikTok. I don't like TikTok. I like Instagram reels. 

Most forms of entertainment are considered trashy when they first come out. At one time novels (yes, novels) were considered inferior entertainment. An educated person was supposed to read histories, or science texts, or the ancient Greek and Roman classics. Now, about 300 years after the first novel was published in English, studying literature is considered one of the most sophisticated academic pursuits there is. Same with Film; at one time it was considered garbage entertainment, only fit for the masses. Now you can study film at Harvard. I think it will be the same for T.V. (if it's not already). 

Instagram reels may never be taught or studied in universities, but personally they provide me a lot of hours of entertainment and -- if you're willing to sift through some crap -- there is some pretty sophisticated humor being performed on reels. Which brings me to Tom and Kell... the Reese brothers, known simply by their Instagram username: reesebros.

 I have no idea how these gangly Aussies ended up invading my Instagram reel feed, but I'm glad they did. Watching their reels is a funny way to learn about a culture that's always been of interest to me but that I've never gotten to experience first hand: Australia. 

But this pair of hooligans is not sitting around explaining to you what "vegemite" is or about the life cycle of kangaroos, or some other such tourist b.s. These are actual, real-life Aussie bros (not brothers, "bros") making fun of Aussie bro culture and just culture in general. Do you know what an "eshay" is? Do you know what a "tradie" is, and how they act on vacation? Did you know that Aussies apparently visit Bali a lot? I didn't think so. 

If you want to get a handle on a culture, don't go pick up Rick Steve's guidebook at Waldenbooks (if you can even do that anymore) like your parents used to do. No, the way to really get a handle on a culture is to watch how that culture makes fun of itself. What do the funny people in that culture see when they hold up a mirror to themselves. That's what you get with reesebros. 

These guys clearly don't take themselves (or anything else except making funny IG reels) very seriously, and it's awesome. They pick on their fathers. Their mates. Gym life. Dating life. Vacation life. Their co-workers. Non-Aussies. Aussies. It's the kind of stuff you might expect from a couple of smart-ass, 20-something bros...only they're Australian. So occasionally you have to look up a word or two, or play the reel a couple times, to figure out what exactly they're talking about.