Review of Wilder Napalm (1993) by Edith N — 25 Oct 2008

So at one point, Wallace (Dennis Quaid) and Vida (Debra Winger) are trying to persuade Wilder (Arliss Howard) that he, too, must accept a share of the blame for what has happened in the movie up to that point. Now, I'm not going to give all of that away, because the way it's all laid out is so deliberate that you would miss half the joy of this movie if I told you the whole of the story. At any rate, the Foudroyant family is in jail. All three of them. What has gone before is delightfully chaotic, though we can actually see every step we go through before we get there. It all makes sense. We can also, unfortunately, see why they ended up in jail. And Vida and Wallace are standing there, saying, you know, Wilder, this is your fault, too. But you know what? If you watch this movie--and I'm not necessarily saying you should, but if you do--I think you'll be with me and agree that it really, really isn't, and they should screw themselves.

Anyway. Wilder Foudroyant is not a happy man. He lives in a trailer park with his lovely wife, Vida, who is under house arrest for arson. He works in a photo hut in the parking lot of a larger store. One day, as he is hard at work, a carnival rolls into town. He's already having problems with the carnies when their clown steps out of his trailer. It's Biff the Clown, also known as Wallace Foudroyant. He and Wilder have an unpleasant relationship, ever since Wallace burned Wilder's hair off at Wilder's bachelor party. Because that's the thing about the Foudroyant boys--they're pyrokinetics.

I suppose it's part of the joke that the more staid brother is the one named Wilder. However, ever since he and Wallace accidentally burned a man to death when they were children, Wilder has been hesitant to use his powers, while Wallace makes his living at it. He has been a homebody, while Wallace travels from town to town with the carnival. On the other hand, he got Vida, who Wallace wanted, too. He's also a member of the town's suprisingly tuneful volunteer fire department. Wallace may be more adventurous than Wilder, but I would wager you that Wilder is happier. Not truly happy--no one who works in a photo hut can be truly happy--but happier than Wallace, who doesn't seem to have gotten what he wanted out of life, either.

It's a basically silly movie, though it does have one or two worthwhile things to say about family and happiness. However, it's not really much beyond that. The music's not bad, but it's often too loud. Vida appears to be wearing the same dress throughout, and it's not until she actually changes clothes at one point that it becomes apparent that she just wears a lot of similar clothes. Arliss Howard gives a subtler performance than the over-the-top Quaid, but it just makes it seem as though neither of them entirely belongs in the movie. And I like those firemen, but they do feel a little tacked on, just one more wacky thing in a wacky movie. It just feels as though it's a little forced, that's all.

Once again, I must go back to "we've seen worse." You'll notice I am giving this a (marginally) positive review, after all. I don't think it's really good enough for a higher review, but I do think it's pretty enjoyable. It seems like one of my mom's summer movies--funny movies without much story to slow you down with thought. The fights are funny; the scene in the jail is both funny and heartrending all at once, if you've gotten to care at all about Wilder. It's a testament to this movie that I did.