Normal
Bob Odenkirk seems to be stuck in a loop of “N” word movies that involve a lot of derring do. He’s the guy who does the Nobody movies, where a seemingly normal guy beats up and subdues hordes of bad guys. I was going to pass on this film because it seemed way too close to that, but then I saw Lena Headey is in it and decided to see what she’s up to after Game of Thrones. Not much, as it turns out, but the movie ended up better than I expected anyway. Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for a small town fends off dangerous forces.
Sheriff Ulysses Richardson, interim sheriff, is a calm and quiet guy filling in till the citizens can vote in a replacement for the recently deceased Sheriff. Normal is a quiet small town in the northern U.S. where everyone knows everyone else and everyone is friendly. His spidey sense tells him something is wrong, though, and then someone tries to rob the bank. The end of the film was nothing I would have expected.
Again, I didn’t expect much from this film because it seemed awfully close to the Nobody films with Odenkirk playing a man in the witness protection program of sheriffs. There are some similarities, but I had so much more fun with the comedic elements here that I didn’t mind. It captured my attention before I figured out Headey has a very small and very dorky part. I was surprised by Henry Winkler showing up, and he was awesome. Yes, I figured out what was going on pretty quickly, I’ve seen Hot Fuzz, but I still enjoyed the lead up to the lead bath that takes up nearly half the film. This is a very funny movie, beginning with its Yakuza opening scene. That was unexpected and surprisingly funny, considering.
I think the reason it’s so funny is that it takes a worn trope and breathes new life into it. So to speak. A lot of people get killed here, and it was hilarious. These movies are better for kill numbers, because there is a whole village to wipe out in funny ways. Odenkirk does not deviate from his well worn Nobody character, but I didn’t mind that so much because the story takes some surprising turns and is more twisty than I expected. Yeah, there were some hijinks that were completely predictable, but there were just as many surprises.
One of the nice surprises is the soundtrack, which is quirky and fun. I know I have heard some of those songs over the years, but they just managed to tickle my memory and worked well in selling the tiny town as an odd little berg isolated from the wider world. Except for the Yakuza. There is always that threat hanging over the place.
I was taken by the pathos injected now and then, from the old sheriff’s lost and unhappy daughter, to Ulysees’s fateful backstory. I was also surprised at how much I was unhappy with the villagers’ embrace of evil, sorta. This is the kind of movie where you’re supposed to enjoy the deaths of bad people. The mayor’s Evil Speech of Evil didn’t move me, but I was still surprisingly affected by the deaths of the small town folks.
Overall, I found this movie funnier than the Nobody films Odenkirk has made famous, with some nicely quiet performances and deaths that are inevitable and funny but oddly wrenching. The plot is more twisty than you might expect but there is nothing terribly surprising. Except maybe the moose and the paint can. This is a fun movie to watch and I recommend it
Triggers: some gory moments, especially with someone’s ear, and also some pinky finger fun
Available on: HBO, Hulu, Sling, Google Pay, Fandango, YouTube, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Prime
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CFR: In Addition
I have wanted to watch this for some time. I’m a big fan of Nobody and Normal looks like it would be just right up my alley. Plus, Lena Headey is a fave and I would love to see Henry Winkler. It seems that Cranky liked it, so I need to put this at the top of the list.
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