2008 Woodie Awards
The Wendell Baker Story: meh...
Ben Brown-Steiner
Issue date: 1/14/08 Section: Entertainment
The Wendell Baker Story is a first for me. It's the first movie I've ever watched that I gave up on half way through. I've never walked out of a theater (not with ticket costs now) and I've never given up on a movie in the middle. I've seen some bad movies, but usually they're bad in a funny way. The Wendell Baker Story is bad in a sad way.
Now I only watched this movie because iThink Films sent it to me for free. That's also never happened before, and I guess it makes me an official movie reviewer (sweet!). So I put it in during a break at the end of last semester, and stopped it after half an hour. It was bad, and I had to go to class, but I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I put it in again the following day, and watched another 30 minutes or so, and then gave up on it.
Luke Wilson plays Wendell Baker, who gets caught making fake IDs for Mexicans and gets sent to jail. When he gets out, he goes to work for Owen Wilson at a retirement home to try to get his life on track. Meanwhile, he loses some friends, his girlfriend (Eva Mendes), and his dog, makes some new friends, and discovers Owen Wilson's underground prescription drug ring and old people...labor camp...thing...
When Wendel realizes what is being done to all the old people, he happens to make friends with a particularly reclusive old guy, who happens to have a private airplane, which happens to be easily accessible and still in working order. They fly to the old person labor camp, and happen to find other people to help them on their way, and a bunch of other things happen. I think there is some shooting.
The acting was alright, I guess. It was hard to tell with the lame and uninspired writing. Maybe the actors acted their best, but when the writing and story is flat, an actors best is still flat. I didn't care for Luke Wilson's character, which I'm pretty sure I was supposed to. I didn't feel sorry for him when he went to jail, or lost his girl, or his dog ran away. He is arrogant and self-absorbed, and I assume that by the end of the film, he sees the errors of his ways, and probably gets his girl back. And probably his dog too.
The only thing the movie is good for is reminding its viewers that bad movies are still out there. It makes me appreciate the gems that are out there (see Juno), and appreciate good writing when it comes along.
Now I only watched this movie because iThink Films sent it to me for free. That's also never happened before, and I guess it makes me an official movie reviewer (sweet!). So I put it in during a break at the end of last semester, and stopped it after half an hour. It was bad, and I had to go to class, but I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I put it in again the following day, and watched another 30 minutes or so, and then gave up on it.
Luke Wilson plays Wendell Baker, who gets caught making fake IDs for Mexicans and gets sent to jail. When he gets out, he goes to work for Owen Wilson at a retirement home to try to get his life on track. Meanwhile, he loses some friends, his girlfriend (Eva Mendes), and his dog, makes some new friends, and discovers Owen Wilson's underground prescription drug ring and old people...labor camp...thing...
When Wendel realizes what is being done to all the old people, he happens to make friends with a particularly reclusive old guy, who happens to have a private airplane, which happens to be easily accessible and still in working order. They fly to the old person labor camp, and happen to find other people to help them on their way, and a bunch of other things happen. I think there is some shooting.
The acting was alright, I guess. It was hard to tell with the lame and uninspired writing. Maybe the actors acted their best, but when the writing and story is flat, an actors best is still flat. I didn't care for Luke Wilson's character, which I'm pretty sure I was supposed to. I didn't feel sorry for him when he went to jail, or lost his girl, or his dog ran away. He is arrogant and self-absorbed, and I assume that by the end of the film, he sees the errors of his ways, and probably gets his girl back. And probably his dog too.
The only thing the movie is good for is reminding its viewers that bad movies are still out there. It makes me appreciate the gems that are out there (see Juno), and appreciate good writing when it comes along.
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