Review of Gentlemen Broncos (2009) by Steven N — 01 Apr 2010

I'm as big a Sam Rockwell fan as you're likely to ever find, Jermaine Clement is funny, Jennider Coolidge is good, and Jared Hess is an interesting, creative. While I pretty much like everyone involved in the making of "Gentlemen Broncos," the overall product of their is less than amazing.

In the film Clement (Flight of the Conchords) stars as a science fiction writer that's fresh out of ideas and opts to steal the work of a high school kid. The book is a hit, the kid finds out, gets mad - you can see where this is going.

The script quirky, which is exactly what you'd expect from the guy that gave the "Napoleon Dynamite." The problem is, maybe it's a bit too quirky. Things start off weird, they get a little weirder, and when you think they couldn't possibly get any weirder they manage to somehow do exactly that.

While I appreciate the creativity, and I get the point the film is trying to make there's simply too much quirk and too little funny. Don't get me wrong, "Gentlemen Broncos" isn't a bad movie by any means.

It's just a bit confused. Sometimes turning the wacko dial from 100 to 80 is a good idea, and this is one of those times. This one gets a mild recommendation from me. I give it credit for having the guts to be wildly different, and wag a disapproving finger in its direction for the very same reason.

Yep, I'm a jerk like that.