Review of My Name Is Bruce (2007) by Explodingboy1989 — 21 Feb 2009

Being a fan of B movies and other off-the-wall cinema, I grew up on Bruce Campbell. Movies like 'Evil Dead 2', 'Maniac Cop,' etc... were regularly viewed. 'For those who don't know him yet, Bruce Campbell is god... Well, not really. But pretty close. LOL.

My Name is Bruce' is a great satire from the B movie icon Campbell, and is a riot for the longtime Bruce Campbell fan, with plenty of in-jokes and references to the past, yet not so esoteric as to deter those unfamiliar with his work from enjoying it.

The plot is kind of "fan boy" meets 'Army of Darkness" (in fact, this film follows the plot of 'AOD' almost completely, just swap the medieval period for modern times, and switch time-traveling Ash mistaken for the chosen one with Campbell mistaken as the characters in his films). The cast contains a lot of familiar faces from past films, and I'm especially excited to see the always amazing Ted Raimi here in three different roles.

I saw lots of parallels, oddly enough, with another icon from back in the day, Jean Claude Van Damme. Both Campbell and JCVD have done films spoofing themselves, in which their fictional self gets into over-the-top situations that reveal their foibles and yet offer a chance at redemption.

Bruce Campbell is his gloriously obnoxious self here, playing the role of a lecherous, cantakerous C star with glee and giving the audience just a fun time. All in all, I didn't think the story was that great, but the performances from all involved (and nice first-time direction from Campbell, who also built all the sets on his own property) definitely make it rise above the three stars it would've gotten otherwise. Because this was such a treat for a Bruce Campbell fan, I gave it an even four. For the rest of those unfamiliar with him, it's a decent three star rental on a Wednesday night or something. Recommended.