Review of Gentlemen Broncos (2009) by Carianne N — 21 Jun 2011

As a science fiction fanatic, I did not find a lot of fault with this movie. The obscure references, the awkward social interactions, the sheer nerdy lust just in the opening credits! I really can't hate a movie whose main character is trying to become a science fiction author, since that's something I would love to do myself. I think that seriously biases my opinion here, but the originality and charm of that kind of character is hard to deny. The essential plot is that Benjamin Purvis' (Michael Angarano) story about a man named Bronco, "Yeast Lords," is submitted to a writing contest and is plagiarized by the contest's judge and Benjamin's idol, prolific sci-fi author Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement).

I liked Jemaine Clement immediately in Flight of the Concords, and he's done a great job translating his talent to American film as a quirky character actor. This character, Ronald Chevalier, is one of my favorites in film. He's the guy who writes stories as an outlet for some closet personal issues, and simply to make money. He's a great, maybe even perfect, antagonist, and Clement adds some interesting desperation and loneliness to the man that makes him much more interesting than most "villains.".

Sam Rockwell established himself as an exemplary actor in the earlier 2009 film Moon, and he keeps delivering as Bronco/Brutus in this movie. One of the strengths of this movie is the experience of Benjamin's story as a film unto itself. Benjamin's vision of Bronco and his adventures literally comes alive when people read his story, and it's truly magical to watch. Rockwell is a main factor in that magic, as he brings a comedic genius and unapologetic sincerity to Bronco that makes the audience believe Benjamin's talent as a writer. Rockwell doesn't stop there though; he also makes us believe the utter travesty of Chevalier's mangled plagiarism of Benjamin's original. Rockwell is probably THE reason to watch this movie if you're a fan of him, if only just to see him sporting a platinum blond mustache and side burns.

Lonnie and Tabatha are, to me, the epitome of hilarious peripheral characters. In the movie, they play friends of Benjamin's that offer to make "Yeast Lords" into a movie and end up creating yet another grievous misinterpretation of the original story. In my first viewing, I was worried that Tabatha would be the stereotypical love interest that introduced Benjamin to his first awkward pangs of sexuality. Fortunately, this is not true for the most part. Halley Feiffer really shines as the completely selfish, untalented yet ambitious writer who really only comes on to Benjamin once she believes in his screen success, which Benjamin views as a perversion of his story. I was happy that the point of the movie was not to "discover love and all that crap," something Benjamin himself highly dislikes in a story. Lonnie is probably the funniest character I have ever encountered on screen, and he's also a large reason that you should see this movie!

Overall, the biggest success of this movie is that the audience is allowed to experience Benjamin's talent and his truly great story for themselves. It isn't merely implied that his story is great, we see it play out in all it's nerdy glory. It's a great example of why "show, don't tell," works for every narrative out there. Benjamin's journey through his insecurities, dependence and obscurity is worth it just to see him succeed as a true version of himself. I love that Jared and Jerusha Hess insist that being true to yourself is the only way to be great, but they don't do that in a didactic, overcliched way. I love this movie, and I think you will too if you're a fan of the Hess' previous and subsequent awkward comedies.