The Wendell Baker Story (2005)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Directors:

Andrew Wilson
Luke Wilson

Writer:

Luke Wilson (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 2005 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Why not call him a hero?

Plot:

Luke Wilson plays a good-hearted ex-con who gets a job in a retirement hotel. Three elderly residents help him win back his girlfriend as he lends them a hand in fighting hotel corruption.

Plot Keywords:

Spoof | Beautiful Woman | Frat Pack | Illegal Immigrant

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Luke Wilson	...	Wendell Baker
Eva Mendes	...	Doreen
Jacob Vargas	...	Reyes Morales
Owen Wilson	...	Neil King
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Skip Summers
Kris Kristofferson	...	L.R. Nasher
Seymour Cassel	...	Boyd Fullbright
Eddie Griffin	...	McTeague
Will Ferrell	...	Dave
Angela Alvarado	...	Irma (as Angela Alvarado Rosa)
Jo Harvey Allen	...	Wanda King
Buck Taylor	...	Bob Draper
Billy Joe Shaver	...	Reverend Shackelton
Azura Skye	...	May
Nicole Swahn	...	Lucy

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some crude and sexual humor and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Denmark:A | Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Möbius Entertainment

Trivia:

Neal King's mother's house is said to be nine miles due south of Durant, which would put it in Achille, Oklahoma.

Quotes:

Neil King: [Neil is spoofing Wendell Baker in front of McTeague] "Thank you very much for this job. It's my first job in the hotel buisness

Soundtrack:

I'll Keep It with Mine

saw it at vail film fest

I saw the Wendell Baker Story last weekend at the Vail film festival and thought it was a charming, funny, truly enjoyable movie. It was very different from Luke Wilson's work with Owen Wilson & Wes Anderson, but in a great way. The quirkiness of Anderson's films was evident, but there was an added tenderness and empathy between the characters, which says a lot about the quality of the script, the direction, and the acting. Luke Wilson was very appealing in the title role--his face is so expressive! As always, Owen Wilson & Will Ferrell were hysterical. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes not only the Owen/Anderson combination, but to anyone who likes romantic comedies. (I must mention, and I hope this doesn't sound derogatory, the scenery in the film made me want to visit Texas for the first time ever.)