Review of The Wendell Baker Story (2005) by Helen P — 16 Apr 2008

This wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, in fact it was pretty much the opposite of what this looked like just from the cover and synopsis. To me this looks like a comedy movie, with some great actors like Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson.. I thought it would easily get some laughs out of me. It ended up being average; not bad, just not as good as I would have thought. For me the jokes were just ones I smiled at, I think I only laughed out loud once. Still, this was worth seeing for myself.

Luke Wilson is Wendell Baker in this film, who to me came across as a nice, laid back guy that didn't think much about what other people would think about him. But when he is caught for making fake drivers licences with his friend, it's when he is sent to prison that he realises how much his girlfriend means to him. During the time he is behind bars, she leaves him for a grocery store worker. Once Wendell is out, with the help of some friends at a retirement hotel that he starts work at, he tries to get her back as well as fighting hotel corruption.

I had some doubts about Luke Wilson in this movie, only because the past few films of his that I have seen turned out to be.. well.. not exactly my type of movie. But he proved me wrong in this, he truly was great for the lead role. Somehow he perfectly fitted the character of Wendell Baker. Owen Wilson's part was smaller than I expected it to be, but he did make the most of it and made some scenes more enjoyable. Other's in the cast were so so.. nothing spectacular but then again no one unbearable.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable movie to watch, but I wouldn't choose to watch this again anytime soon. If you like this type of movie then it shouldn't be disappointing, I just would rather watch something different. Still, I'm glad I saw it.. so if you haven't already, maybe you should see this for yourself.