Gentlemen Broncos
Rating: 3/10
Cast: Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Jennifer Coolidge
Director: Jared Hess
So the director of Napoleon Dynamite returns with this film showing nationwide in the World Cinema Showcase.
Set in mid town America, Angarano stars as aspiring sci fi teen author, Benjamin Purvis, home schooled and naïve in the ways of the world. Sent to a writers' camp, Purvis meets his hero, esteemed sci fi author Ronald Chevalier (Clement) and enters his manuscript (the terribly titled Yeast Lords) into a competition to win a deal.
However, Chevalier is struggling to find inspiration for his next book - and so, inspired by Purvis' Yeast Lords, he promptly plaigarises the whole thing.
But at the same time, Benjamin's sold the story to some local (terrible) film-makers and when their movie comes out, a creative showdown's on the way.
Gentlemen Broncos is quite frankly irritating. With prevalent quirky characters who are just annoying rather than wonderful, it quickly begins to grate. Every single one involved on the screen is blessed with irritations rather than nuances which would make them lovable.
Sam Rockwell makes good of his role as the star of Yeast Lords, in the comic reinterpretations of both Chevalier and Purvis' books - yet, these recreations mock the terrible sci fi adaptations and just look awful. I understand it's supposed to be a tribute to the comic and awful pulp scifi world, but after seeing scenes of pink vomit, dive bombing stags and naff costumes, it just cloys.
Thank goodness then for Jemaine Clement, the shining beacon from within the mess. His Ronal Chevalier (who sounds like Alan Rickman at times) is destined to be a cult character, with easily quotable lines from within his New Age mantra just waiting to be embraced by the masses.
It's just unfortunate that the rest of the film is such a disappointment and a misfire.
