Don Verdean

"The tireless efforts of Don Verdean will continue to bless millions everywhere." Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean (Rockwell) has started to fall on hard times. He used to speak to packed crowds but now the audience is dwindled. When he is approached by a local pastor wanting to inspire his congregation Don once again begins to find precious holy relics. Wanting to truly inspire Don does something that changes everything. I thought this movie was very very funny. I have loved Sam Rockwell for ever and he was a great choice for this role. The movie was written and directed by the same guy that did Napoleon Dynamite so you should expect that kind of humor going in. The dialog is as witty and ridiculous as is the events but that's what makes this movie so much fun to watch. Overall, stupid and hilarious, if you liked the humor in Napoleon Dynamite then check this one out. I really liked it. I give it a B+.

Huge fan of Sam Rockwell so I was excited to see this flick. He plays the title character a Archaeologist specializing in finding artifacts that prove the Christian faith is real, but under pressure he becomes a con artist and gets over his head keeping the con going.

Danny McBride and Jemaine Clement (of flight of the Concords fame) give the quirky comedy to Rockwell's straight man. Both men give me some laugh out loud moments. While Will Forte who is also in the movie is good for just a few giggles here and there.

The story was actually really cool as it becomes very outrageous when the devoted Christian starts to go a little too far to keep his con going.

It is unfair to compare Don Verdean to Napoleon Dynamite, but I can't help it after finding out the same guy directed both. I'd say Don Verdean had more story and is strengthen by Sam Rockwell's performance with McBride and Clement supporting him. It has the same style of charm that makes all the characters interesting to watch.

Plus it really is good for a few laughs.

Don Verdean Sundance Film Festival Director: Jared Hess Since the sleeper success of 2004's Napoleon Dynamite, Jared and Jerusha Hess have had an interesting track record. Regardless of how their work is received by audiences and critics, they have maintained a cinematic style that is, to say the least, unique. Don Verdean (Sam Rockwell) is a biblical scholar and archaeologist who has built his career on excavating and preserving artifacts from the good book —the film's opening scene features an antiquated documentary in which Verdean tracks down the shears that Delilah used to cut Samson's hair. After his career slows down, he, his Israeli fixer Boaz (Jemaine Clement), and his research assistant Carol (Amy Ryan) agree to a contract with Tony Lazarus (Danny McBride) to track down more artifacts in order to keep his congregation from joining that of Pastor Fontaine (Will Forte), a former Satanist turned Christian. As pressures mount, Verdean begins to compromise his standards in pursuit of "filthy lucre," as Boaz puts it. From an acting perspective, the performances are great. Rockwell and Clement have great comedic chemistry, and Amy Ryan grounds the film with her genuine sincerity. That being said, there is still something indulgent in this film— almost like team Hess has packed it full of inside jokes that only resonate with themselves. It might be time for them to come out and play with the rest of us. –Alex Springer

Most of the negative reviews you see for "Don Verdean" are the same as the negative reviews for "Gentleman Broncos." It all boils down to one basic idea: "This movie isn't enough like other movies I like." Professional reviewers and users alike miss the boat on these movies because they want them to fit in a neat little package. You'll hear a lot about how they didn't feel the movie worked as a straight comedy, or straight drama, or that mixing biblical jokes with more adolescent jokes doesn't work. They are missing the point. This is not meant to be a single genre, or even really a mix of genres, instead it is an examination of characters, ideas, and themes.

Unlike many other movies, "Don Verdean" (and "Gentleman Broncos," for that matter) is not looking to work as a whole, indeed these movies reject the idea of balance and chemistry as proscribed by mainstream films. Instead, DV is about about the details. Each moment of the movie has been engineered, largely without a thought for the other moments. In the Hess world, if something is interesting that's reason enough to include it, regardless of how it fits together with other pieces.

It's not inherently worse than other films (in fact, you'll see tremendous talent in the film-making, the acting, and the script); it's just a completely different approach. So see "Don Verdean," not because it's more of what you already like (and have) but because it isn't.

In this movie Sam Rockwell plays the titular character Don Verdean who is an amateur archaeologist hunting down religious artifacts. When Don is asked to retrieve the skull of Goliath things spiral out of control.

Although the jokes did not always work that well the writers did a great job at implementing them in the movie as most of the dialogue based jokes came very naturally and never really felt out of place. The story itself is where the movie falls apart though. Characters almost never really act out of character and it really felt as if they were living in that world instead of on a comedy set. However it quickly becomes very clear that the story is artificially set up. In fact the events that happen in the end of the movie seems so out of place and sudden that it's clear the screenwriters didn't really know where to go and just needed an ending.

The one redeeming factor about the movie is the acting. Although I think their acting qualities were severely underutilized Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement and Amy Ryan really put down a believable performance. The chemistry between the actors/characters does seem to be there but the director does not seem to be able to capitalize on that.

I do think that the recipe behind 'Don Verdean' could have provided a pretty fun comedy movie. With a better director and a better story the movie could have been a pretty good comedy, sadly as of right now it is just a well acted flick paired with a very mediocre story with some good laughs here and there.

My rating: 4/10