When a ancient curse is unleashed on a small rural community, a teenage boy takes the lesson of the movies a step too far and kidnaps B-movie actor Bruce Campbell to defeat the monster as he has done so many times before. Campbell mistakenly thinks that this "gig" has been set up by his agent for his birthday and he goes along with it with typical swagger and confidence. The townsfolk think he is the answer to all their problems but it only takes one confrontation for Campbell to realise that the monster is very real, very deadly and very much not his problem.
It is only recently that I was taken totally by surprised by JCVD, which is similar it concept to My Name is Bruce in how it twists reality into a film but also keeps it reality. JCVD was pretty good and I was looking forward to Bruce Campbell's film hoping that it would be good in a different way. From the start it is clear that the focus here is on self-mockery rather than self-examination as we get ourselves a cheesy monster b-movie in the mould of Campbell himself. The potential for self-referential fun is high but sadly the film never really gets to it as it settles in at a much lower level. The focus is on simply prat-falls and gags and the digs at Campbell are affectionate and general rather than barbed. I'm not saying that the film needed to be Deconstructing Harry, because it didn't, just that the material is far too broad to make it stick in the memory.
Verheiden's script is mostly to blame but having Campbell as director doesn't help a great deal as he isn't Sam Raimi and he does inject much into his film to raise it above the basics. This is not to say that I didn't find the film to be quite enjoyable but just that it is pretty base considering what it could have done. The good thing is that many viewers will be coming to it out of affection for Campbell and this sense of affection will carry them far enough to make the film feel OK. The monster effects are suitably cheesy and the narrative arch is OK. Campbell does a good job as himself, playing to the Ash personae as well as being an ass in a way that I'm sure he is not. The supporting cast are not that good but do the job and I suppose they do fit with the overall creation of reality as a bad b-movie.
My Name is Bruce is sadly not a great film but it just about levels out at being "OK" if you are in the mood for it. The concept is great but the delivery is too basic with a heavy reliance on physical comedy and basic jokes that are not that funny. The affection many viewers (including myself) will feel for Campbell will help it but it is not as smart nor as funny as it should have been.
It is only recently that I was taken totally by surprised by JCVD, which is similar it concept to My Name is Bruce in how it twists reality into a film but also keeps it reality. JCVD was pretty good and I was looking forward to Bruce Campbell's film hoping that it would be good in a different way. From the start it is clear that the focus here is on self-mockery rather than self-examination as we get ourselves a cheesy monster b-movie in the mould of Campbell himself. The potential for self-referential fun is high but sadly the film never really gets to it as it settles in at a much lower level. The focus is on simply prat-falls and gags and the digs at Campbell are affectionate and general rather than barbed. I'm not saying that the film needed to be Deconstructing Harry, because it didn't, just that the material is far too broad to make it stick in the memory.
Verheiden's script is mostly to blame but having Campbell as director doesn't help a great deal as he isn't Sam Raimi and he does inject much into his film to raise it above the basics. This is not to say that I didn't find the film to be quite enjoyable but just that it is pretty base considering what it could have done. The good thing is that many viewers will be coming to it out of affection for Campbell and this sense of affection will carry them far enough to make the film feel OK. The monster effects are suitably cheesy and the narrative arch is OK. Campbell does a good job as himself, playing to the Ash personae as well as being an ass in a way that I'm sure he is not. The supporting cast are not that good but do the job and I suppose they do fit with the overall creation of reality as a bad b-movie.
My Name is Bruce is sadly not a great film but it just about levels out at being "OK" if you are in the mood for it. The concept is great but the delivery is too basic with a heavy reliance on physical comedy and basic jokes that are not that funny. The affection many viewers (including myself) will feel for Campbell will help it but it is not as smart nor as funny as it should have been.