The Wendell Baker Story

I just saw The Wendell Baker Story at what is its third screening, at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville.

Although, as stated in the prior comment, this movie will be no cult nor mainstream classic, it is highly entertaining. For a comedy, it is considerably light: the humor is mostly situational.

I personally found Wendell Baker's greatest success in the developing of the secondary characters as foils. The movie does not have opening credits, instead only introducing the title. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to see many high profile actors in roles fitting well within the film. In the post-screening interview, Luke Wilson discussed how this choice for no opening credits was as an "album cover" and that, with the focus directly on the introduction of an Austin Texas feel.

The acting in the film is generally good. Highlights for me were the performances of Grant James and Kris Kristofferson. I was, unfortunately, disappointed in Eva Mendes' delivery of her character. I feel the 'girlfriend who 'the guy' loses' cliché could have been as fresh as the other foil supporting characters.

The film has many beautiful shots on location in Texas, although the editing at times is choppy (granted the film is still not finished). The music is absolutely wonderful: the folky rock feel contributing in subtle persistence to the southwestern feel of the film.

I enjoyed this film. It was not profound... do not go to this movie to see another Royal Tenenbaums. The film is a comedy, but it is neither dark nor slapstick. It very much reminds me of Sideways in that both take advantage of a specific local color create a more personal and more relaxed movie. As such, while not often was I laughing, the ever-present humor kept me entertained.

Watched it last night for the first time. Although it wasn't "slapstick" humor, I still felt it was thoroughly enjoyable. In fact, it seemed almost like a breath of fresh air. Not as formulaic as a lot of other comedies out there, thank goodness. I especially enjoyed Luke's character of Wendell Baker. He comes across as being forever boyish until he does experience loss in his life. Harry Stanton and Seymour Cassel really do bring a unique air to the film, being septuagenarians with a fervid love of life. Kristofferson's character I felt could have used a bit more development, but is overall well acted nonetheless.

The soundtrack to this movie really helped a lot. If it had to be called a flavor, I'd call it "Texas BarBQ"...flavorful, colorful and spicy. Very unique.

In short, this would be the kind of movie you could watch with your family and not be embarrassed.

I love the Wilsons as much or more than anyone, but it doesn't look like any of them tried too hard on this film to make it work. I just saw the world premiere at the Paramount and the crowd was wild for it. I on the other hand, along with all of my friends thought that the movie lacked a lot of what critics call believability.

The characters weren't quite paper thin, more like cardboard, and there were about 20 of them. Every time Wendell's charm wained immediately another character would show up to make him look all the better. Every time Wendell had a problem another character would show up to help him. Sometimes characters just showed up for the hell of it.

It was a fun movie, I laughed a lot, especially at Will Ferel's bit role. Austin, my city of residence, is also the backdrop which makes everyone feel nice. It seems though that the Wilson brothers were a little too proud of Austin, TX. At one point near the beginning Texas is mentioned, then he turns the corner in his car to show a TX license plate, then another shot as he drives into the distance and a huge Texas flag flutters above.

I don't want it to sound like I hated it, but I really wished for more. Luke didn't seem to work out everything quite as well as he could have, he even threw in some random voice over to help the plot hobble along. If you are looking for a fun movie that should have maybe starred Burt Reynolds circa 1972 then this is your movie, if you are looking for a tightly formed narrative then look elsewhere.

Once upon a time movies were for entertainment. They made you feel good about life. They were visual fairy tales that ended with the line ---"and they all lived happily ever after." That's what this movie is to me. Doesn't require a degree in psychology or a doctorate in human behavior. It just tells the story of a guy who messes up, then has an epiphony and decides to make it right. He helps others along the way without putting his personal agenda first. Anyone who goes along with his philosophy ends up getting rewarded in the end. And after all, isn't that what fairy tales are supposed to be about? There is enough heartache and sorrow in life without using it for entertainment purposes.

This is a nice movie that packs some laughs & entertainment as well as an inspiring message. Luke Wilson plays the protagonist Wendell, a seemingly clueless dreamer whose "capitalist ventures" always land him in hot water.

This movie carries a great message about what it takes to succeed as a human being. In particular, the line in the title of my review (spoken by Kris Kristofferson) applies to Wendell. If you like movies about people who stay fresh & optimistic despite life's hard knocks, this is a good one to watch. Other films that delve into the same theme are "Little Miss Sunshine", "Chocolat", "The Marc Pease Experience" and the classic film "Zorba the Greek".

"The Wendell Baker Story" features a lot of veteran actors whom you may not recognize at first, such as Harry Dean Stanton (who played the leading role in "Paris Texas" and also a memorable role in "Alien"), Seymour Cassel (who got an Oscar nomination for his role in the 1968 film "Faces") and my favourite of the lot: Kris Kristofferson (one of the best musician-turned-actors I've ever seen).

Unfortunately, some powerful scenes featuring these actors were cut from the final version of this film. I suppose it was to give the movie more of a snappy comedic appeal instead of carrying a heavier vibe. But you can still see these scenes in the deleted material on the DVD.

The film, as it was released, balances itself squarely between comedy and heart. In other words, it's not a laugh-a-minute riot, nor is it a film that makes you stop & ponder your place in the universe ...though it could have gone either way. I suppose you can take it at your own pace. Me, I would've liked it to be at least a half hour longer & feature more of the dramatic scenes that were cut.

The music is a real treat and lends a nice, rustic Texas vibe to the whole show. Peppered throughout the film are songs by Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, etc. Oddly enough I don't think there was anything by Kris Kristofferson. But his excellent performance on screen is enough to satisfy any fan.