Hello again! It's Annette Kellerman back with a look at the opening night film from this year's Fantastic Film Festival...
GENTLEMAN BRONCOS
Brought to us by Jared Hess, the mastermind behind the now-classic Napoleon Dynamite and the (I think) underrated Nacho Libre, Hess once again invites us into his own special universe. That universe is, of course, still filled with terrible 80's-esque fashion, ironic forgotten pop music, and the squirm-worthy awkwardness that the director seems to be making his calling card. The film follows Ben, our teenage protagonist who aspires to be a sci-fi writer on par with his idol, legendary fantasy author Ronald Chevalier. Upon meeting the luminary at a convention for young home-schooled writers like himself, Ben enters his latest epic tale, Yeast Lords, into a Chevalier-judged contest in hopes of winning a publishing deal. Alas, young Ben eventually learns the hard way that the gleaming bravado of his literary hero masks some devilish secrets. In addition to the main plot, however, the audience is also treated to the "story within a story" of Ben's Yeast Lords played out in not one, but two versions- both poking a lot of fun at some of the cliches of sci-fi/fantasy literature and films.
The casting and performances in GENTLEMAN BRONCOS are terrific. As Ben, Michael Angarano perfectly portrays Hess' special brand of subdued uncomfortable geek angst. Jennifer Coolidge shines in her usual fashion as Ben's tragically sweet and oft-embarrassing mother. As Ben's "guardian angel"- a version of Big Brothers Big Sisters- Chris White sends the absurd-o-meter deliciously into the red, complete with ridiculous 80's metal hair, a crapping pet snake, and the demeanor of a stoned wet rag. Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame steals the show as the perpetually serious and self-centered sci-fi legend Ronald Chevalier. And last but certainly not least, Sam Rockwell as Bronco, the hero of Yeast Lords, once again delivers two outstanding and hilariously juxtaposed performances in the duel versions of Ben's "story within a story" epic.
So, talent and enjoyable Hess conventions aside, the film wasn't a complete home run for me. At about the half way point, I inevitably found myself comparing the film to its predecessors and unfortunately it fell a bit short. Though the ending managed to redeem the shortfalls leaving me with an overall good impression of the film, I would be remiss not to admit to a smidge of dissappointment in the movie. Despite these misgivings, though, I would still recommend checking it out- especially if you are a fan of this type of awkward humor.
Well, I'll be checking in again tomorrow with more coverage from Fantastic Fest.
Until then,
Annette Kellerman
