Accidental Texan
A film set in the middle of ranch country, Texas, Accidental Texan stars Erwin, an aspiring actor who blew an audition in New Orleans in such an hysterical, ridiculous fashion that I couldn't stop laughing. Since the rest of the film tries to be much more serious, I'm not sure what was up with that zany beginning.
On the way back to Hollywood, still dressed in his costume and outfitted with his special effects rig, Erwin's Prius breaks down in Buffalo Gap, a city of about 10 people it seems. The auto repair guy tries to take advantage of our city boy, but is saved by a roughneck, Merle, whose oil drilling business is on the edge of collapse.
The film then goes into serious mode as Merle and Erwin go on a mission to save the business by trying to find oil before an evil tycoon and his lackey bankers do. The villainy is so cartoony it's ridiculous, but I still enjoyed their work to save Merle's business.
Erwin is more than an accidental Texan; he becomes an accidental son-figure, to Merle's father-figure, as they go about mending their own pain with as little emotion as possible. Carrie-Anne Moss, as Faye the waitress, reminds the pair that the emotions are there, and she uses that power to help save the day. Instead of waving money at people, she brings them together for a common goal that inspires feelings of nostalgia that lead to a new future.
It's so Hallmark channel it's not even funny, but I still enjoyed it. There's a gun battle, a stampede of cows, hard drinking, and a loyal roughneck crew that love rampaging through the environment looking for oil to make money. It's the daydream of every Red state Republican thinking about the good ole days that never actually existed. Family values are explored and admired. Making money, at any cost, is only trumped by a small business underdog, trying to do the same thing.
But, I'll say it again, I enjoyed it. It is a shame that folks with ranches or farms from before the twentieth century are losing their livelihood due to technicalities on leases, or a reduction in demand in farm products causing foreclosures. It was fun to see people beat "the man", even though it's fiction.
