Gentlemen Broncos [2009]

If I can teach anyone anything about movies this week it’s – “concepts are not movies”!!!!


Benjamin is an aspiring sci-fi writer – who’s already wrote several novellas and dreams of one day being able to help support his mother. He goes off to a writing camp – where he meets his hero - the writer Chevalier – who’s actually struggling to come up with any relevancy these days. When Chevalier reads Benjamin’s story – he decides to plagiarize it – and it becomes a hit.


Sounds like a pretty interesting concept doesn’t it? Well, there’s only one problem; there’s a PLOT and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT that goes along with it!!! Oh no!!! Somebody ruined a “concept” and actually made it a story! Somebody better call up Will Ferrell and tell him to put on a funny outfit and start screaming at people!


That’s right – Benjamin has a driving force behind him. He wants to do better for his mother – he wants to pay tribute to his father with his writing – he wants to be an author and be taken seriously – all of which are realistic, well defined and attainable within the premise of the film. Ben is a realistic character in how he acts and reacts to the strange set of characters this movie is based around. Actor Michael Angarano brings a very solid believable base to the character and he is excellent in the role.



Everyone else in the film is wacky as bugnuts – which works because we have a solid believable likable character in the middle of it all to follow – and it’s his story so we are not dividing our time on weak subplots. Jemaine Clement plays Chevalier with a funny voice – but that’s fine it’s either that or talk with his New Zealand accent – which would sound a bit funny anyway. Sam Rockwell as Bronco/Brutus (the character in Ben and then Chevalier’s story) plays it over the top – which is fine because he’s meant to be a fictional character in a crazy sci-fi world.


All the other strange characters – that only Jared Hess (creator of Napoleon Dynamite) would dream up – are odd, nerdy, over-the-top characters – but they work because they are icing on a well-developed cake plot.


The movie goes back and forth from Ben’s real life – to Ben’s sci-fi story – to Chevalier’s version of the story – and it’s done with ease. It doesn’t feel forced – it feels there to help illustrate that Ben wants to be taken seriously – and also helps highlight the subplot where Ben sells the rights to a friend so they can make the movie version – making it 3 different takes of the sci-fi novella in this film.


The special effects are top notch – you get the feeling that Wes Anderson is kicking himself for not thinking up this film first. They are whimsical and entertaining – yet cheap and cheesy.



I see that I’m getting off on a praise tangent – well – I’m not going to proclaim this to be an amazing film. It’s fun – and compared to the two “concept” films I saw before it –this is amazing. It does get to be a little too much to bear at times – especially since they throw in a few poop jokes and a barf joke (which could’ve really stayed out of it).


Overall it’s an enjoyable film – one worthy of your attention if you liked Napoleon Dynamite – and I’ll walk away giving it a 4 out of 5.