Did anybody catch this film when it aired on Film4 the other week? I thought I'd give it a go as it looked bizarre and starred Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords.
I hadn't planned on reviewing it but felt the need to warn those who thought about watching it that they really gotta love and get Napoleon Dynamite to properly enjoy this film. I am firmly in the camp that says 'You what?' to the Hess brothers' previous effort. I did like this film more than ND though, and that was down to a few key performances.
The film focuses on teenage author Benjamin, played by Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown, Sky High). He is a keen writer of science fiction novellas, quite possibly home schooled (I wasn't entirely sure) and lives with his strange but sweet mother, his father having died some years before. Benjamin attends a writers camp, meeting along the way a sparky girl called Tabatha and a ridiculous wannabe director called Lonnie. While at camp he submits his story to be judged by his hero Chevalier, played by Jemaine, who then goes on to steal his work (with a few alterations) because he is about to be dropped by his publisher.
So while Benjamin has sold film rights to The Yeast Wars to Lonnie and is coming to terms with his work being basterdised by the weird filmmaker and his groupie, Jemaine is reaffirming his prowess as king of the sci-fi novella. Of course the boy finds out the truth and how despicable his hero is, and only with a surprise source of help does the film end happy for the young author.
It sounds intriguing, and it is, I only have a problem with the execution. I dislike films I perceive to be trying too hard to be weird, and the sheer amount of weird thrown at you here was just too much for me. It was also trying to cover too much. There is romance, comedy (some gross-out which conflicted with the sweet comedic elements), betrayal, mild violence, and science fiction. None were covered well.
I'll interpose here with what I liked about the film. Jemaine is typically smarmy and plays the villain with sad desperation, but have to say I found it a little too pantomime at times. Angarano was sweet and obviously delivered what was expected of him, he was a bit of a carpet at times but when he got angry it was refreshing to see he wasn't going to be walked over the rest of his life. Jennifer Coolidge playing his mother was brilliant, she can play sweet and kinda nutty so well, she is so much more than her plethora of supporting or bit parts suggest.
And finally what really got me laughing out loud were the strange drifts into the alternating stories of The Yeast Wars (Benjamin's stolen story) where the protagonist is played in both versions by the genius that is Sam Rockwell. Seriously if you think you won't enjoy the film but love Sam it's kinda worth the 90 minutes to see him as rough and ready Bronco (the original), or transvestite Brutus (Chevalier's version). Simply hilarious hearing him as camp as a field of tents.
Though fun I have to say those cut aways into the contrasting versions of the plagiarised story interrupted the flow. Then I also recognise without them the film would be barely an hour long.
I think my main problem is, apart from the humour which isn't really my cup of tea, that it seemed to be style over substance. Where this could, in other writers and directors hands, have been a woeful drama of the little guy being screwed over by the corrupt idol, it became a colourful and weird glance at plagiarism, the oddities of sci-fi, and a young man growing up.
The Hess brothers appear to be trying to be bizarre cross-overs of the Farrelly and Coen brothers. However they miss-fire in the output. Where the Farrellys have the market on gross-out humour with a sweet subplot, and the Coens have weird drama down to a T, the Hess brothers have stumbled on mixing weird with sweet.
It doesn't sit well with me, however like I said if you love Napoleon Dynamite I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy Gentlemen Broncos as it takes weird to the next level.
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