Accidental Texan movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Accidental Texan

This charming dramedy is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a young Harvard student whose car breaks down in Texas. While he waits for it to get fixed, he’s taken under the wing of a nearly bankrupt oil driller who needs help outwitting a corrupt oil company to hit pay dirt before their dreams are both dashed.

The film was directed by Mark Bristol. Writing credits go to Julie B. Denny, who also helped co-produce it with the director and two others.

It’s already been nominated for 3 awards and won 3 from various film festivals! While critics have been giving the film a thumbs down, audiences are loving it and have rewarded it with a high 96% thumbs up!

THINGS I LIKED:

Rudy Pankow is a young actor who is already making a name for himself. I just reviewed another movie he was in: 5 Lbs of Pressure. Wow, the two characters he plays in the two films couldn’t be any more different. Impressive. He plays a believable fish-out-of-water Harvard student trying to fit into the small Texas town.
I’ve been a fan of Thomas Haden Church since he was a young actor in the popular TV show Wings. He’s perfect in this role.
Other highlights in the cast are Carrie-Anne Moss and Bruce Dern.
The story takes place in West Texas in a small town.
You’ll never look at a stack of pancakes the same way again. Ha ha
The original title of the movie was Chocolate Lizards, which is the name of the 1999 novel the movie is adapted from.
Eddie the cow. Ha ha
We get to learn a little bit about drilling for oil and what hard, dirty work it can be.
At the end of the movie, we see that the film was dedicated in loving memory of Austin Denny, who was related to the screenwriter, Julie B. Denny.
The whole movie has a lot of heart and humanity. You’ll walk out with a big, goofy smile on your face.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

You can definitely see the overly dramatic ending coming with this predictable story, but it’s still really fun to watch.
There are a lot of Texas cliches. You might be offended by them or get a kick out of them, depending on how you feel about Texas.
The music that played during the opening credits seemed like an odd choice to me and set up expectations that weren’t exactly met.
Sometimes, it’s hard to understand what people are saying when they’re outdoors next to the noisy drilling rigs.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some profanity
Guns are used
Some alcohol

THEMES:

Finding your place in this world
Helping others
Relationships
Fear
Courage to go for your dreams
Love and loss
Pushing people away
Hope
Second chances and taking the next step

FUNNY LINES:

“Is this even legal?” – Erin Vandeveer (Rudy Pankow) “No.” – Merle (Thomas Haden Church)
“Death can come from anywhere at any time. Welcome aboard.” – Mule (David DeLao)
“I deserve this.” (the crazy situation) – Erwin Vandeveer (Rudy Pankow)

INTERESTING LINES:

“A door just shut in a good man’s face.” – Faye (Carrie-Anne Moss)
“The thing about life is you think you’re going to have someone, as long as you live, and one day, they’re just gone.” – Merle (Thomas Haden Church)
“Tell him that. You may be surprised how much he can hear.” – Merle (Thomas Haden Church)