“Normal” stars Bob Odenkirk and is a goofy, gory good time, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review. While it shares a lot of DNA with Odenkirk’s two “Nobody” movies, “Normal” is the best and most convincing showcase for Odenkirk as a butt-kicking action hero yet.
Pakistani delegation arrives in Tehran in move to ease tensions and arrange more US-Iran talks
Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues
Justice Department moves to toss seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys
Bam Adebayo injured after LaMelo Ball trips him. Heat coach says Ball should have been ejected
Ye postpones Marseille concert after French authorities say they will seek a ban
Prosecutors sought access to Federal Reserve building as Trump threatens to fire Powell
Hot dogs and steaks and bacon, oh my! Meat raffles keep a beloved Midwest tradition alive
Mobility exercises are an important part of fitness as we age. Here are some tips
How a remote camera captured the Artemis II launch and startled birds
The World in Pictures
FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures
Why many Americans are turning to AI for health advice, according to recent polls
Coachella looks like fun and glamour for influencers. Behind the scenes, they fiercely strategize
Mobility exercises are an important part of fitness as we age. Here are some tips
Pope demands the 'chains of corruption' be broken during visit to Cameroon
Vance asiste a foro derechista Turning Point, donde algunos participantes lo critican
Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues
Justice Department moves to toss seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys
Bam Adebayo injured after LaMelo Ball trips him. Heat coach says Ball should have been ejected
Ye postpones Marseille concert after French authorities say they will seek a ban
Prosecutors sought access to Federal Reserve building as Trump threatens to fire Powell
Hot dogs and steaks and bacon, oh my! Meat raffles keep a beloved Midwest tradition alive
Mobility exercises are an important part of fitness as we age. Here are some tips
How a remote camera captured the Artemis II launch and startled birds
The World in Pictures
FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures
Why many Americans are turning to AI for health advice, according to recent polls
Coachella looks like fun and glamour for influencers. Behind the scenes, they fiercely strategize
Mobility exercises are an important part of fitness as we age. Here are some tips
Pope demands the 'chains of corruption' be broken during visit to Cameroon
Vance asiste a foro derechista Turning Point, donde algunos participantes lo critican
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Brendan Fletcher, from left, Bob Odenkirk and Reena Jolly in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Bob Odenkirk, left, and Jess McLeod in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Lena Headey, left, and Bob Odenkirk in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Brendan Fletcher, from left, Bob Odenkirk and Reena Jolly in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Brendan Fletcher, from left, Bob Odenkirk and Reena Jolly in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Bob Odenkirk, left, and Jess McLeod in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Bob Odenkirk, left, and Jess McLeod in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Lena Headey, left, and Bob Odenkirk in a scene from “Normal.”
This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Lena Headey, left, and Bob Odenkirk in a scene from “Normal.”
Over the years, we’ve seen countless characters wander into corrupt small towns and become entrapped by the locals. Usually, the mean face of these movies is the town sheriff. The best recent example: Don Johnson’s crooked lawman in 2024’sthe good guy drifting into town IS the sheriff. Ulysses has come to Normal, Minnesota, in the dead of winter to fill in for the town’s recently deceased sheriff. Now, I don’t think traveling substitute sheriffs are necessarily a real thing any more than police officers named after Homeric heroes. But “Normal,” a hyperviolent Midwestern Western that cleverly inverts some genre standards, has a pleasingly loose hold on reality. It’s a goofy, gory good time. And while it shares a lot of DNA with Odenkirk’s two “Nobody” movies, “Normal” is the best and most convincing showcase for When Ulysses wakes up in a motel in Normal, a quaint town of 1,890, he seems to be doing only slightly better than Saul did at most points in “Better Call Saul.” He leaves a message for his estranged wife and greets an officer, Deputy Mike Nelson , eager to show him around town. Odenkirk, a brilliant comic mind, has proven surprisingly adept at playing middle-aged washouts who maybe have a few moves left. His Sheriff Ulysses has given up trying too hard when it comes to upholding the peace. “Life’s a lot easier when you care a little less,” he says. His goal, he says, is to leave Normal the way he found it.
But Normal tests his apathy. The town, set on a wintry tundra, seems to be doing well — too well, in fact. A banner by the town hall celebrates the raising of $16.8 million for some initiative. The police department is stocked with an unusual amount of weaponry. Around town, the local hardware store has a suspicious locked closet. Even the old lady with a yarn store is listening to a police scanner. The former sheriff also had a surprisingly grand home. His death was a little mysterious, too. And we learn more about his transgender teenage child, Alex , whose precarious situation as a veritable outcast suggests the town residents may be quite aggressively controlling who gets to call Normal home. How Ulysses navigates this and a few other situations quickly arouses the concern of a mayor looking for a sheriff with a “light touch.” So when a couple of down-on-their-luck thieves try to hold up a bank, the resulting standoff goes unlike any you’ve seen before.
The mayor, the two deputies and, soon enough, the entire town turn on Ulysses. Midwestern manners fall away and mayhem begins. “Normal” is written by “John Wick” creator Derek Kolstad, who also penned the “Nobody” movies that launched Odenkirk as an action star. And it exists quite knowingly alongside movies before it. We are not far from “Fargo” territory, a fact nodded to in the name of the previous sheriff, Gunderson — the same as Frances McDormand’s sheriff in the great Coen brothers movie. “Normal” doesn’t aim for the dark comedy of the Coens. It’s closer to the cartoony underground network qualities of the “John Wick” franchise. The Japanese yakuza appear in the first scene in “Normal,” so you know they’re going to have something to do with the small-town nefariousness, despite being so many worlds away. So “Normal” morphs into a kind of over-the-top “Bad Day at Black Rock,” with its streets turned into a combat zone. Many of its twists aren’t hard to see coming, and the movie sometimes lacks the scale needed for a sprawling battle. But a mustachioed Odenkirk with a shotgun is, by most metrics, more than enough firepower for any movie.
Wheatley is also in his wheelhouse. The British director has often wavered between conceptual missteps and plodding, Tarantino-inspired grindhouse exercises . But he knows his way around a firefight. And while there isn’t much that’s new in “Normal,” it — not unlikelast year — gamely filters national politics into a small-town thriller where the local law can be on the side of good, or not. “Normal,” an Magnolia release opening in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong bloody violence and language. Running time: 90 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Coyle has been a film critic and covered the movie industry for The Associated Press since 2013. He is based in New York City.
Ben Wheatley Movies Minnesota MN State Wire Film Reviews Entertainment Ari Aster Jess Mcleod Ryan Allen Jake Coyle Billy Maclellan Don Johnson Theft Derek Kolstad Law Enforcement Frances Mcdormand Fargo Mike Nelson Henry Winkler
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater is buying its home, because high LA rents also affect puppetsDavid Wagner reports on housing for LAist.
Read more »
18 Years Ago Today, HIMYM Forced One of the Best Shows Ever To Change by Introducing a Great Side CharacterHow I Met Your Mother bringing in Bob Odenkirk forced Breaking Bad to introduce a new character, Mike, who would change everything.
Read more »
Ben Wheatley on ‘Normal’ Franchise Ambitions and Portraying Progressive Elements Without FanfareAt a time when studios are cutting back on inclusive elements, the Bob Odenkirk action movie provides representation in an artful way.
Read more »
Bob Odenkirk survived the worst and came out the other side an action heroNearly five years after an almost-fatal heart attack, Odenkirk returns to the action genre with “Normal,” marking the latest twist in an unpredictable career.
Read more »
‘New Normal’ Fuel Costs Unlock Pricing Power Across Parcel and TruckingSkyrocketing fuel prices are putting pressure on trucking and parcel delivery firms, but the industries are benefiting by wielding more pricing power.
Read more »
Shoe company Allbirds pivots to AI compute in sign of a totally normal and healthy economyFind the latest technology news and expert tech product reviews. Learn about the latest gadgets and consumer tech products for entertainment, gaming, lifestyle and more.
Read more »