Medal of Victory

I first saw Medal of Victory at the Wisconsin Film Festival, and then in a theater. This satirical comedy is set in rural Wisconsin, where a series of madcap escapades and mistaken identities ensue. The movie reminds me of some of my favorite screwball comedies (Caddyshack, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona).. it was hilarious and thoroughly entertaining. Recognizing some of Wisconsin's landmarks was the icing on the cake.

I wish more independent movies were like this. It's so rare to see a small movie take on action sequences and fight scenes and big ridiculous comedy. It reminded me of some of my favorite screwball comedies where anything can happen and it all somehow makes sense. It brought to mind Wes Anderson's BOTTLE ROCKET and the all time classic STRIPES.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film! Genuinely funny, packed with clever twists and turns, and full of wonderfully quirky characters. Politics, love, fake news, comedy, revenge and murder —what more could you ask for? The writing really stood out for me as strong point here— this script was clearly crafted with care. I left the theater with a smile on my face.

Pros: Beautiful cinematography, with enough time given to each shot to not feel rushed while at the same time moving the story along. - Acting was very good, with strong performances from each of the lead actors. The mayoral candidates especially demonstrated their chops and brought professionalism and wit to their roles. -Script was efficient and funny, and left room for the actors to move around in their characters and scenes. -Set in Wisconsin, with many familiar locales that locals will enjoy, and which I appreciate because this film could have been made most anywhere. The roots and pride of the production team are on display here.

Cons: The two lead characters, while funny and well played, did not receive the kind of character development that had me rooting for them particularly. I couldn't tell much about their back stories, other than the situations that played out on screen.

Overall, I liked this movie very much, especially considering the scale of the production, I feel that this is a very well made, truly independent production.

With the exceptions of the performances by Richard Riehle & Jack O'Connell, this movie begs to be forgotten. The humor is thin and the writing is something that makes Ed Wood seem like a genius. The Wisconsin locations are attractive and somewhat well shot but that is not enough to get around the overall poor production value and a movie that was just painful to get through. All of this would be forgivable if not for the obvious shill review posted 1st, giving it a rating of 10/10. (Citizen Kane holds an 8.4) Good grief.