The Wendell Baker Story (2007)

I haven't seen this many old coots getting up to no good since Cocoon.

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08/28/08

just a shaggy dog story dressed up in cowboy boots and a cool belt.

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07/14/07

Click to read the article

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07/14/07

Given Luke Wilson's affability, it's also irresistibly charming. You may not buy the film's plot, but you'll invest in him as a man whose heart is always in the right place.

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06/08/07

This isn't anything to write home about, but is pleasant enough. I

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06/02/07

There's a reason this film sat on the shelf for over two years, it's wildly uneven in spots, but there's also moments where you can see that there's a good idea and film trying to get out.

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05/21/07

I think it’s one of the worst movies of the year. I think it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.

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05/21/07

Here’s something satisfying: ’70s-cinema fetishism with the courage of its convictions.

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05/19/07

That they've assembled a first-rate cast made up of veteran character actors and contemporary comedy stars to pursue this agenda makes The Wendell Baker Story all the more effective.

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05/19/07

I hate to sound like a disappointed parent, but I expected more from Luke Wilson.

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05/18/07

Though the first Wilson brothers' effort, Bottle Rocket, is far superior, the trio of brothers working together creates a light and enjoyable comic romp.

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05/18/07

Despite a terribly conceived coda, Luke and his brothers have mostly succeeded, thanks in large part to sharp dialogue, a solid vintage soundtrack and some great older actors from the heyday of American cinema.

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05/18/07

Wendell Baker isn't perfect. The slacker humor grows cloying at times. Still, there's an undeniable charm to the Texas tale as it celebrates nonconformity and redemption.

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05/18/07

Though the Wilsons are no threat to the Coens as filmmakers, The Wendell Baker Story is still a pleasingly human-scaled alternative to the big, soulless Hollywood blockbusters.

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05/18/07

A shiny shell of a movie, TWBS is pretty to look at, and occasionally fun to watch. But ultimately, it's an exercise in futility -- for the participants, who can do so much more, and the audience, which deserves so much better.

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05/18/07

Wendell Baker doesn't particularly cotton to outsized ambitions. Check your expectations at the door, and you might enjoy yourself.

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05/18/07

The movie undercuts whatever good graces it has generated with a feel-good ending that is just stunningly stupid. It's hard to be hip when your finale is so square.

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05/18/07

Luke’s script is both funny and poignant, but he and Andrew do the writing a disservice by failing to set up the onscreen delivery and stubbornly clinging to tacked-on scenarios that do nothing to further the plot.

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05/18/07