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Written
by Luke Wilson (who not only plays the lead role but Co-Directs the
flick with the often forgotten third Wilson brother, Andrew) The Wendell Baker Story
is an enjoyable affair which, while often plagued by some rather chop
changey narrative at times, is yet another fantastic installment to the
Wilson & Co catalouge.
The flick (set in a lovely looking
Texas) follows dreamer and schemer Wendell Baker, whose latest scam
(selling ID's with "official Texas hologram technology" to Mexican
border jumpers) lands him in jail and alienates him from his longtime
girlfriend Doreen, best friend Reyes and even his dog, Junior.
Eternally
optimistic, Wendell makes the most of his time behind bars and vows to
turn his life around - with hopes of going into the hotel business.
Upon release, he gets a job at the Shady Grove retirement hotel, where
he befriends the old time residents. Wendell's new friends advise him
on how to win back his girlfriend, as well as battle the hotel's evil
head nurse, Neil King (Owen Wilson) and his right-hand man, McTeague
(Eddie "How The Hell Does He Keep Getting Cast" Griffin).
While
the 'big' laughs are few and far between (the comedy tone of the flick
seems to switch as randomly as the narrative, with it never quite sure
of whether it's a silly comedy or playing it straight), there are still
plenty of stand out moments. Will Ferrell (in his obligatory cameo)
delivers in the short time he's on screen, as do the senior members of
the cast in Seymour Cassel and Kris Kristofferson who are just
fantastic. Owen Wilson also delivers with his infectious smile - and I
simply can't go past the montage of Wendell's time in prison (the
joining of the crypts and arians is a cracker!) which he makes look
like Disneyland. Great stuff.
A surprisingly feel good flick
which won't disappoint, for the pure fact that Luke Wilson oozes cool -
and the whole tone of the flick oozes fun.
EXTRAS
The
copy we received didn't contain any extras, but you would hope that
somewhere out there is a behind the scenes featurette which exposes the
good times on set.
A must have for those who already have a Wilson-heavy DVD collection. Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: N/A
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