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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Wendell Baker Story, The

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Wendell Baker Story, The reviews
44
6.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Romance

Written by: Luke Wilson

Directed by: Andrew Wilson
Luke Wilson

Release Date:
Theatrical: May 18, 2007
DVD: October 30, 2007

Running Time: 95 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for some crude and sexual humor and language

Starring Luke Wilson, Seymour Cassel, Eddie Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, Eva Mendes, Harry Dean Stanton, Owen Wilson, and Spencer Scott

Smart, sweet, hip, and engaging, this film celebrates the precipitous fall and rise of an oxymoronic movie hero - a winning loser who follows his own path. Baker, a lovable con man with high ambitions and low energy, likes to dream and scheme about tomorrow, without paying any attention to the realities of today. He embarks on a great comic misadventure that in a sometimes roundabout, but always entertaining, way, leads straight to happy endings. (ThinkFIlm)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Variety Joe Leydon

A loose-knit, character-driven comedy that percolates with good-vibe amusement, often earning industrial-strength guffaws with sneaky one-liners and tossed-off non-sequiturs.

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63

USA Today Claudia Puig

Directing seems to suit Luke, who also does some of his best work to date on screen.

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63

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Slight but consistently entertaining.

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63

TV Guide Ken Fox

Despite a terribly conceived coda, Luke and his brothers have mostly succeeded, thanks in large part to sharp dialogue, a solid vintage soundtrack (Rick Nelson's "Garden Party" features prominently) and some great older actors -- Cassel is a particular standout -- from the heyday of American cinema.

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60

The Hollywood Reporter John DeFore

In large part the film succeeds, feeling like a good-natured throwback.

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50

New York Magazine David Edelstein

If you want proof that Will Ferrell is the most riotously funny straight man since Jack Benny, observe the way his utter sincerity (in the Ralph Bellamy role, as Wendell’s rival for Eva Mendes) lifts this two-ton piece of whimsy into the stratosphere.

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50

The New York Times Stephen Holden

The appeal of The Wendell Baker Story depends on how charming you find the Wilson brothers, with their chipmunk grins and hip smart-aleck attitude. For my taste, a little goes a long way.

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50

Village Voice J. Hoberman

A sweet, dumb pup of a movie, not unlike its eponymous hero, The Wendell Baker Story frisks along sniffing the sidewalk.

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50

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

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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42

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Feels like an attempt to rebottle the postmodern fizz of Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket." I wish instead they'd put a stopper in it.

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40

LA Weekly Robert Wilonsky

For a movie aiming to play like some 1970s throwback, both in sound and spirit, the most depressing thing about The Wendell Baker Story is how messy and impersonal it feels.

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40

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

A cast this charismatic is bound to make something of the situation. In short bursts, the movie is alternately sunny and charming, dark and weird, confounding and dull.

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30

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

Some people make films in homage to Ingmar Bergman, others nod to the French New Wave, but only the Wilsons would think to follow in the footsteps of Burt Reynolds.

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30

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

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

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25

Premiere Peter Debruge

Movies in which the same person serves as writer, director, and star should carry a special warning for audiences, even if that individual happens to be an actor as endearing as Luke Wilson.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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