Gentlemen Broncos
Tags: absurd, stupid

Plot synopsis:
Benjamin Purvis lives with his mother Judith, who designs tacky clothes and makes rock-hard popcorn balls. Judith and Benjamin make ends meet by working at a women's retail clothing store. Benjamin spends his spare time writing science fiction stories, and he has recently completed a story called Yeast Lords, which centers on a hero named Bronco, modeled after his long-dead father.
At various times, portions of Yeast Lords are seen as Benjamin imagines them. Bronco is obliquely masculine, and he valiantly struggles with a villain over yeast production.
At a two-day writing camp for aspiring fantasy and science fiction authors, Benjamin attends lectures by his idol, the prolific and pretentious writer Ronald Chevalier. Chevalier announces a contest for the writers, in which the winner's story will be published nationally. After encouragement from fellow camper Tabatha, Benjamin submits Yeast Lords. Tabatha shows the story to her friend Lonnie Donaho who runs an ultra low-budget video production company. Lonnie gives Benjamin a post-dated check for $500 and begins adapting Yeast Lords into a film.
As Chevalier reviews the stories from the campers, he gets a call from his publisher, rejecting his latest manuscript. Panicked, he picks up Benjamin's story, and it sparks his imagination. Chevalier changes Purvis' Bronco into Brutus, an extremely effeminate and comically flamboyant hero, changes the other character names and title, but otherwise leaves the story intact. His publisher loves it, and the novel is rushed into production under the title, Brutus and Balzaak.
Portions of Chevalier's version are now seen playing out alongside Benjamin's original vision of the story.
At the local premiere of Donaho's version of Yeast Lords, Benjamin is nauseated to see how badly Donaho has adapted his work, and he abruptly leaves the film with Tabatha. They go to a bookstore where he discovers Chevalier's plagiarism after reading a paragraph from Brutus and Balzaak. He confronts Chevalier at a local book signing, and assaults him with some merchandise Chevalier had offered him in exchange for keeping his theft quiet. Two policeman hustle him out of the store and he is placed in jail.
Judith comes to visit her son in jail to give him his birthday present. She hands him a box of manuscripts, all officially bound by the Writers Guild of America. She explains that she has been registering all his stories with them since he was seven years old, thinking they would make a nice keepsake for his children. Yeast Lords is one of the registered stories.
Copies of Chevalier's novel are unceremoniously dumped from store shelves, being replaced with Benjamin's original novel.

Review: I saw the trailer for it some time ago, and was excited for it; "Napoleon Dynamite" and even Hess' follow-up "Nacho Libre" were two of the most off-kilter, refreshing comedies I've seen in the past decade.
"Broncos" is absolutely no exception, expanding on and arguably perfecting the "geekverse" that Hess started with "Napoleon." This third film in the "Crayola Trilogy" may be so well designed for sci-fi geeks and lovers of Hess' first two movies, that it simply had no way to possibly survive in the mainstream market.
I am also a sci-fi nut, and I like my comedies full of bizarre and strangely real people- this, Hess excels in, as well.
I can see why "Gentlemen Broncos" has not enjoyed the success of "ND"--- it is a truly far-out film, that only "nuts" such as myself are likely to enjoy; I spent my youth much like the lead character writing short stories and dreaming up far-off worlds--- for kids like that, and their adult counterparts, I can only say "See This Film." You won't regret it..
You will know within 2 minutes of watching this if you can watch all of it or not - it is anti-Hollywood, just about anti-indie, a brilliant take on boredom, eccentricity, makes unoriginality into hyper-originality and is generally like a 1930s freak show with a side order of banal.Seriously weird, and yet oddly familiar, the psychodramas and models of parenting and the wakwardness of friendships are all twisted in a maelstrom of ideas that just keep on coming.
There are some lines when both in and out of context made me laugh so hard I cried.This movie is not for everyone, I think people who like both napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre will find some enjoyment out of this(which I don't).
Gentlemen Broncos is quite simply one of the freshest, funniest, well acted (from a comedic standpoint), and sharply written comedies I've had the privilege of seeing.The film tells a small but endearing tale which is playfully examined on a number of skilfully interwoven levels.
Like Hess's earlier film, Napoleon Dynamite, Broncos is populated by an array of quirky characters, each with hidden depths.
Being a good actor and being funny in a film are not necessarily mutually compatible skills but Rockwell does it with ease and as the fictional heroes of both Bronco and Brutus, he gives us two entirely different and insanely original comedy Sci-Fi characters that I will personally relish watching again and again.As a backdrop to the action Hess uses the world of pulp science fiction novels and, as intimated above, it is with this multi-layered device that main thrust of the comedy is delivered.
The fictional world of the "Yeast Lords" is so outrageously funny that I defy anyone to get through the four or five scenes starring Bronco or Brutus without cracking up at least once (for those who have the DVD, there's a particularly hilarious blooper where Rockwell can't bring himself to say the line "were there pimps?" without breaking into laughter at the sheer absurdity of his lines).
All in all, the film sends up this peculiar little genre of "writing" while clearly maintaining a strong affection for the potential imaginative freedom it sometimes manages to exploit.Gentlemen Broncos is the most original and authentically eccentric film I've seen, well since Napoleon dynamite.
Three other films spring to mind that Broncos reminds me of in the sense that they all bring similar elements; absurdist story structure, over-the-top character-acting, and an unapologetic bevy of immature, toilet-ish, sometimes abstract humor.
It breaks down like this; 10%; people who even knew this was coming out - 5%; of those people saw it - 2.5%; of those people liked it - 90% of everybody else doesn't care - 100% of those people who didn't care would probably hate this worse than could possibly be imagined.If you disagree and love this film, see box office receipts for, and then watch; Land of the Lost, Freddy Got Fingered, and UHF.
And for Napoleon Dynamite, the critics had to admit there was something more to it than a cheaply made movie.The Hess's style of writing does not focus on some crazy, larger than life shot 'em up.
Mike White has never been even nearly as hilarious as he was in this film (watch out for snakes), Jennifer Coolidge was in top form (as usual), and Sam Rockwell got all the way on board with a career burning phoenix of comedy that covered the polar ends of the spectrum.
One of the funniest people alive, Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords) reproves his very real character-acting abilities, swanning over the film in full form as a tightly wound, bad-jeans-wearing, writer-bearded egomaniac who is so cheesy that you can smell the leather conditioner coming out of the screen.
He's so likable and well-paced that you just can't believe it either, and can't imagine anything getting any better for him- until he goes off in a blaze of glory.Now I realize that all of these descriptors may sound like Hess may have sacrificed the inspired randomness of Napoleon Dynamite in order to make a more structured film.
Gentleman Broncos follows awkward sci-fi loving Benjamin as he tries to have his story, Yeast Lords, made into a "movie." But after going to a sci-fi camp and meeting his favorite sci-fi author, Chevalier played by Jemaine from Flight of the Concords, he steals Benjamin's idea and makes the book himself.Now, first things first, unlike another That Was Junk writer, I like Napoleon Dynamite and I don't think it's the worst movie I've ever seen.
The main character, Benjamin played by Micheal Angorano, isn't necessarily as weird as Napoleon Dynamite but everyone else around him is such as his mother, played by lovely Jennifer Coolidge who sells tacky clothing and giant balls of popcorn, is.Everything and everyone is weird in this movie.
And cinematographer Munn Powell, also DP on Napoleon Dynamite, has a way of making Hess' movies look dated.
There's a prophetic line hidden in Jared Hess's new film, "Gentleman Broncos," which opens in limited release this Friday:"People hated your movie," says a main character, "some of them walked out."I had the painful experience of watching Gentleman Broncos at a DC screening on Tuesday.
The commenter below me compares this film to Wes Anderson, Scorsese, and the Coen Bros-- they must be a close personal friend of Jared Hess, or a PR agent for Fox Searchlight, or maybe we saw different movies.
Written and directed by Jared Hess, also responsible for Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, this eccentric comedy lands somewhere in between the hypnotic success of the former and the disappointing shortfalls of the latter.
The awkward, passionately inept cast doesn't quite have the charms of Napoleon or Pedro, (with the exception of Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords, who's outstanding as selfish sci-fi plagiarist Ronald Chevalier) and there's a notable lack of a top-of-the-mountain moment that was so present in Dynamite's dance scene.
It is time to reflect, to ponder, to review the woefully neglected film entitled "Gentlemen Broncos." The latest endeavour from visionary director Mike White is a bold exploration into the limitless expanses of outer space, and the infinite potential for awkward comedy in human interaction.To summarize the narrative, Benjamin is a young man who writes a sci-fi novel called "Yeast Lords." When he goes to a teen writer's camp the story is stolen by his favorite author, the inimitable (although you will try) Ronald Chevalier.
If you laughed when Napoleon asked "Do the chickens have large talons?" then you will appreciate Bronco's statement that "I can smell a cache of yeast cakes forty miles off!" The pinnacle of this cinematic saga is Mr. Ronald Chevalier, the pretentious deep voiced author of novels like "Brutus & Balzac," "The Cyborg Harpy Trilogy," and "Moon Fetus." Jemaine Clement (the taller half of the Flight of the Conchords duo) improvises some of the funniest lines.
Jared Hess made a great Job Making a fully original movie with original style themes ideas characters, and prospective.
Sam Rockwell is excellent in his dual roles.I thought it better than Napoleon Dynamite.You can dislike this movie, but that only makes you a square in my book..
The deadpan (and sometimes nonsensical) delivery is enough to mask many of the funniest, most ironic aspects of the film.With that being said, Gentlemen Broncos is probably my favourite comedic movie of all time.
And yes, they would have had fun making the movie.Michael Angarano does his usual outstanding job, while Jennifer Coolidge is great and Mike White, who does a great job, reminds us of Michael McKean's long flowing hair in "This Is Spinal Tap".Along with a fun and pleasant story, we are treated to many great songs by artists such as Zagar and Evans "In The Year 2525", Kansas "Carry On Wayward Son", Cher "Just Like Jesse James", Black Sabbath "Paranoid" and many more.
How could Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, make such an awful mess of a movie??
Meanwhile, Benjamin has already sold the rights to his book to a local filmmaker who butchers his work, leaving him a bit frustrated and volatile.A few years ago, director Jared Hess caught lightning in a bottle with the cost-nothing-to-make blockbuster "Napoleon Dynamite." "Napoleon" was a weird piece of ridiculousness that you either loved or hated and I happened to love.
Jared Hess's works are all very good with an abundance of great scenes and characters, and indeed excellent casting.
Jared and Jerusha Hess may not have created a financial success but Gentlemen Broncos is without a doubt one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.
Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sam Rockwell all deliver stellar performances and are backed up by Halley Feiffer and Héctor Jiménez who really knocked it out of the park.Its not Flight of the Concords or Napoleon Dynamite; Gentlemen Bronco's really shines as a film like nothing else these silver screen has seen before..
"Gentlemen Broncos" is so off-the-charts weird at times that you often can't tell whether it's breaking new ground as a brilliantly original and creative work - or just trying too hard.Michael Angarano ("Forbidden Kingdom") plays Benjamin Pervis, a friendless teen who lives with his penniless mom in a geodesic-domed house in rural Utah.
Ben is a writer of sci-fi fantasy fiction who has one of his stories stolen by Ronald Chevalier (the delightful Jemaine Clement), a world-famous author with a James Mason voice.
Ben also runs into a couple of bizarre indie-film makers who want to make the same story Chevalier stole from him (entitled "Yeast Lords" from the series "Gentlemen Broncos") into one of their shoestring-budget productions.It's hard to know whether writers Jared and Jerusha Hess (Jared also directed the film) have any real affection for their characters and the world they inhabit or whether they view them merely as objects of out-and-out mockery and ridicule.
The enactments of scenes from Benjamin's novels are appropriately hokey and cheesy, and the movie also makes astute musical choices, particularly Zager and Evans' 1969 hit "In the Year 2525," which effectively book-ends the story..
I understand that Gentlemen Broncos isn't going to please everyone, but I find it difficult to comprehend how so many film critics can find so little to like about it.Its quirky, bizarre, often "over the top" and drags a bit in places, but even its occasional toilet humor is refreshingly unpredictable and produced a number of genuine laughs for me, and I consider myself to be uncommonly hard to please when it comes to comedy films.I didn't love Napoleon Dynamite or Nacho Libre, but what I did like about them (that element of curiosity, that faded for me after about half way through), is not only present in this movie from beginning to end, but is magnified significantly by a stellar cast and a vastly more interesting story arc that is periodically punctuated with some very imaginative slapstick moments, the pacing of which is right on time, keeping attentions firmly focused on the film.I don't write reviews often, but I hope that the people who made this movie will someday read this and feel a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.AND to highlight the fact that the pro critics, like most of American media dispensers these days, can be counted on to deliver one thing and one thing only, politically correct opinions that suit the climate their mother hen pecking corporate shareholders hope to create, while ever becoming increasingly numb to reality.Those critics know what they saw, but they chose to keep their heads down on this one, because some low budget indie flick with no advertising budget isn't worth getting a scowl from the boss over.And as for Roger Ebert, I'm sure my 80 year old grandma would agree with your review.
The acting is just painful to watch, identical to Napoleon Dynamite, with the exceptions of Jemaine Clement and Michael Angarano giving great performances to their character.
Weird yet common people, bad acting (on purpose), memorable characters, and completely random story lines make Jared Hess' films brilliant.
If you liked Napoleon Dynamite, you will also enjoy Gentlemen Broncos..
The film's director, (Jared Hess), Is a real favorite of mine; His work on Napoleon Dynamite is something that needs to been seen by everyone.
Gentlemen Broncos is a quirky comedy that never truly makes an impact I think it wants to and although has a few OK jokes, is never truly funny either.
As the plot goes along we start to see the craziness about the book involved and a lot of the funny jokes also derive from the reading of the novels seen in this film basically about writing.Michael Angarano is actually not that bad in this movie as Benjamin and his timid like performance is quite nicely done.
The funniest character has to be Lonnie Donaho played by Hector Jimenez who is so random and a person actually turns out being funny at the end and his contribution is widely accepted here.Jared Hess directs and co writes the script and well although I don't want to criticise his skill as both, he doesn't really do a top notch grade piece of work here.
This is an alt very indie feel movie, with extreme silliness as it's major plot line.The movie pokes gentle fun at pulp sci fi authors and books, with lots of hilarious scenes having the actors depict characters in the main sci fi stories.The Space Harpie Vixen Women, with laser-shooting tits, are probably the best, and a close second would be the jet powered stuffed deer stag mounts.I say those things so you have an idea where this movie is going.If you read the above and said, "Oh well, Space Harpie Vixens with laser titties, well that's just SILLY!
Hess's third movie after "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre," Gentlemen Broncos" qualifies as insanely hilarious.
While on the bus going to the festival he befriends two attendees, Lonnie (a gay Mexican-American filmmaker responsible for a multitude of low-budget films and his sidekick Tabatha, an aspiring but hopelessly untalented screenwriter).Benjamin has written his own sci-fi fantasy opus entitled "The Yeast Lords: The Bronco Years".
Chevalier reminds me of the character 'Roger De Bris' from the original Mel Brooks 1968 'Producers' movie—a pretentious, affected theater director (Jermaine Clement is similarly a hoot as the crazy fantasy author).Chevalier is at the Cletus Fest because he needs the money and ends up teaching a workshop on how to create better character names for sci-fi fantasy novels (when Benjamin tells Chevalier he's using 'Bronco' as his main character title, Chevalier feels 'Broncanus' will work much better).
Now that Benjamin can prove he holds the copyright to his work, all of Chevalier's books are destroyed and Benjamin becomes successful enough to finance his mother's first fashion show.On the plus side, the film's creator, Jared Hess, has showed improvement in his screen writing abilities in that his current protagonist (Benjamin) is actually warm and likable as opposed to the unlikeable Napolean Dynamite.
Jermaine Clement gives a strong satirical performance mocking the world of sci-fi fantasy writers and their misguided adolescent fans.On the down side, those 'film versions' of the 'The Yeast Lords', get kind of repetitious and you could say that the joke wears thin.
Gentlemen Broncos tells the story of Benjamin (Michael Angarano), a teenage, homeschooled boy who aspires to become a published science fiction writer.
These two are just weird and not good for the film.The scenes from the science fiction story about Bronco start off strange, but I didn't mind.
"Gentlemen Broncos", which sees Michael Angarano playing an awkward teenage sci-fi writer whose work is plagiarised by an arrogant celebrity author, is no different.Many of Hess' films take place in a world which seems to be a hybrid of the 1980s and the 21st century.
If "Napoleon Dynamite's" victory ending worked, it's only because the film was self-consciously tapping into your typical teen movie finale.
Jared and Jerusha Hess are excellent writers, and I love their quirky characters and the colorful worlds these characters live in.But this film just does NOT work!
(www.plasticpals.com) Director Jared Hess' Gentlemen Broncos is an absurd coming of age comedy that manages to be even stranger than his more well-known breakout hit, Napolean Dynamite.
The film focuses on Benjamin, played with earnest by Michael Angarano, a teenager who dreams of seeing his own stories share that shelf space.Ben attends a writer's workshop where his idol, the eccentric Dr. Ronald Chevalier, gives a hilarious lecture about sci-fi naming conventions.
Eventually Chevalier finally publishes the plagiarized story, and the crap hits the fan when Ben realizes what's up.Like Napolean Dynamite, I'm not convinced Gentlemen Broncos will hold up to repeat viewings, but these oddball Americana slice-of-life movies are possibly worth checking out at least once if you're willing to go there.
but 1 of the few movies that i like is "napoleon dynamite".