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Wendell Baker Story, The
THINKFilm

Wendell Baker Story, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 44 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.6 out of 10
based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA 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)


GENRE(S): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Luke Wilson  
DIRECTED BY: Andrew Wilson
Luke Wilson
 
RELEASE DATE: DVD: October 30, 2007 
Theatrical: May 18, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

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.
Read Full Review
63
USA Today Claudia Puig
Directing seems to suit Luke, who also does some of his best work to date on screen.
Read Full Review
63
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Slight but consistently entertaining.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
60
The Hollywood Reporter John DeFore
In large part the film succeeds, feeling like a good-natured throwback.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!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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