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By Simon Jago
Gentlemen Broncos is shall we say a strange film. From director Jared Hess, creator of cult classics such as 'Napoleon Dynamite' and 'Nacho Libre', it's hardly suprising that Gentlemen Broncos is a bizarre story about even stranger characters. The film does contain Hess's trade mark charm when dealing with his usual cast of social misfits, but despite having some very funny moments, the film fails to live up to its predecessors.
PLOT SYNOPSIS
The film follows the exploits of a shy amateur science fiction writer Benjamin (Michael Angarano) and his experiences when travelling to a fantasy writers' convention. He decides to enter his latest sci-fi novel, 'Yeast Lords' into a competition judged by his idol, a fantasy author named Ronald Chevalier brought to life by Jermaine Clement from comedy double act 'Flight of the Conchords'. He also meets Tabitha (Halley Fieffer) and her strange film directing friend Lonnie Donaho (Hector Jimenez) who just like Chevalier, takes rather an interest in Benjamin's book.
Lonnie decides to create an onscreen adaptation of 'Yeast Lords', while Chevalier, struggling with work decides to simply plagerise the story, a decision which ressucitates his career. Meanwhile poor Benjamin simply has to watch as everyone around him 'rapes and pilages' the source material that has such sentimental value to him. However, these events are a true test of character and soon prove that Benjamin is more like the heroes of his favourite sci-fi novels than he first imagines.
To call this movie extremely wierd in an understatement! It is very strange, even by Jared Hess's standards, but it is still thoroughly enjoyable. The various visions of 'Yeast Lords' are very funny and well created, with an outstanding performance by Sam Rockwell, especially as the flamboyantly camp 'Brutus' of Roland Chevalier's version of the story. The characters are all bizarre and it works, but there is a real subtlety to most of the humour and so you do have to work at times to find it. My favourite scene by far is when the snake shits himself all over the character Dusty, mainly because it is so random and unexpected that I think I was laughing out of pure confusion.
The movie has some real laugh out loud moments, but they are too few and far between. There is a constant enjoyment throughout the movie, but it does fail to entertain on the same level as 'Napoleon Dynamite' and even 'Nacho Libre'. Another entertaining film from Jared Hess, 3 Stars out of 5.
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