Review of Run Ronnie Run (2002) by Justin M — 28 Aug 2006

Plays out as Mr. Show: The Movie, mostly because that's exactly what it is. And with that said, it's something of a disappointment. The cameo list is mightily impressive and a number of the one-note jokes are zingers -- "Scott Thompson and the Gay Conspiracy" is absolute genius, on par with the best stuff the show ever put to air, but that's just the problem. So much of what the show did, particularly in the middle seasons, was brilliant sketch comedy, and much of this...is not. Odenkirk is especially weak, which is bizarre considering that this is a character he's played for laughs many, many times before: his first scene with Cross, where he pitches the show, is full of easy gay jokes, but they work wonderfully. Outside of a maybe one other scene, that's about as close to funny as he comes here.

Yet even with a somewhat thin script of sketches and jokes that pale in comparison to most episodes of the Show, the cast, stacked with great character actors, make it work. Cross bears the brunt of the work (it being his movie and all) and is often much better than you might think the script would allow him to be. Also notable are David Koechner, as Ronnie's injury-prone drinking buddy ("Hey man, I'm sure sorry about that whole spinal surgery..." "Oh don't worry Ronnie, I was drunk too! Shoulda known better than to let you drive that bus."), MC Gainey as a diabolical sherriff-cum-Governor conniving to put Ronnie on Death Row, and R. Lee Ermey, the token war vet cast member of a Survivor-like reality show, out for blood after Dobbs' Ronnie Dobbs Gets Arrested! bumps his crew out of top-spot.

If you like Mr. Show, you'll probably have a good time with the movie, but the uninitiated might want to hit up the re-runs instead.