Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

PodBill Just what I expected

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

merklekranz "The Wendell Baker Story" has a couple of giggles, but you would expect a lot more from a cast like this. Seymour Cassel and Harry Dean Stanton provide the most interesting characters, with their small parts. Kris Kristofferson is also quite good, but the Wilsons and Eva Mendes are totally unappealing. The movie really tries to accomplish way too much, and the chop shop editing is downright annoying. Is it a comedy, or a romance, or a drama? I give up and so will you, because in the end, it all adds up to very little. Skip this one and you won't be missing much, other than a pretty fair soundtrack. ............................................ MERK

Roland E. Zwick As played by Luke Wilson, Wendell Baker is the kind of character authors like to refer to as a "lovable rogue" - a smooth-talking scam artist with a tongue as nimble as the pen of a scribe (to borrow a phrase from scripture, if I may be so bold). The trouble is that a good-hearted guy can run afoul of the law for only so long before he risks losing the woman he loves (Eva Mendes) and before he is finally forced into taking a long, hard look at his life. Thus, once he's paroled from prison, Wendell decides to go straight by taking a job at a retirement home (he's been duped into believing that this is a first step on the road to a career in hotel management) run by a sadistic administrator (Owen Wilson) and his toadying staff. There's a little of the feel of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," as the con man leads the put-upon inmates of the "asylum" in a well-coordinated rebellion against their oppressors.The chief attraction of "The Wendell Baker Story" is the opportunity it affords us of seeing the Wilson brothers appearing together in the same movie - and what a treat it turns out to be. Luke has written a script filled with the kind of dry, wry wit that has been the hallmark of both of their performances over the years, and their scenes together crackle with understated cynicism and humor (Luke co-directed the feature with yet another brother, Andrew, making this a family affair in the fullest sense of the term). The movie is also blessed with an amazing team of supporting players, including Harry Dean Stanton and Seymour Cassel as spry oldsters who find a supportive helpmate in Wendell Baker; Kris Kristofferson as a mysterious, stoic resident who is harboring a carefully guarded secret about his past; Will Ferrell as the grocery store owner who is Wendell's chief rival for his now ex-girlfriend's affections; and Eddie Griffin who serves as chief henchman for the home's scalawag of a director.Their performances and the laidback tone of the humor compensate for the occasional dry spots and the fact that the movie itself doesn't really add up to all that much when all is said and done.

dustinhunter707 OK now I have always liked Luke and Owen Wilson as well as many other stars in this film such as Eddie Griffin, Eva Mendes, Kris Kristofferson, and Will Ferrell but for some reason this movie wasn't funny at all. It was more dramatic and from the looks of the trailer, I was expecting a comedy with several laughs since it starred Luke and Owen Wilson, but I only laughed like twice the whole movie and I was expecting to laugh way more. It kind of tells the life of Wendell Baker, but it really fails to make anything about his life funny like they should have. Overall I give this a 4 out of 10 because I was expecting a comedy, not a drama. I wouldn't recommend this to comedy fans, but if you are looking for something different and you are a Luke Wilson fan then you may like this, but i'm not sure because I am a Luke Wilson fan and I didn't even like this one.

Bruce Burns I'm supposed to like "The Wendell Baker Story". From having lived in the Austin area for the last 27 years and in Austin proper for the last 11, I recognized most of the locales in the film. Plus, I went to the University of Texas at the same time the Wilson brothers did (along with Matthew McConaughey & Renee Zellweger). I will freely admit that I like brother Owen's screenplays directed by Wes Anderson ("Bottle Rocket", "Rushmore", "The Royal Tennenbaums"). And Luke Wilson--as both writer and director--attempts to emulate the Owen/Wes style in this movie. Unfortunately, his skills as a writer don't match his brother's, and as a director he seems grossly incompetent. And as lead actor, he--as always--gets by on his good looks and Texas accent rather than any discernible talent.The story is about Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson), a huckster who gets arrested for forging fake id's for illegal aliens. After he gets out of jail, he finds that his girlfriend Doreen (Eva Mendes) has dumped him and most of his friends want nothing more to do with him. While Wendell was in jail, he studied the hotel business, and that lands him a job in a retirement home run by the evil Neil King (Owen Wilson) and his henchman McTeague (Eddie Griffin). It's not much of a spoiler to say that Wendell saves the day, wins back Doreen and makes a few quirky friends along the way. But I won't give any details as to how this is accomplished.Like "Rushmore", this is very much a story about a misfit who doesn't get that he's a misfit. Also, like Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, the film is peppered with really great--if somewhat obscure--songs from a bygone era. But whereas Owen and Wes opt for British pop music from the 1960's, Luke prefers Texas Outlaw country music from the 1970's. He even casts Kris Kristofferson in a key role and Billy Joe Shaver in a small role. Between the two of them, they wrote nearly half the country hits between 1969 and 1980.Also unlike Owen Wilson, whose characters are funny, quirky and sad, Wilson's characters are merely quirky. And unlike Wes Anderson, Luke doesn't know how to properly set up a shot or light an indoor set. Most of the indoor scenes are dramatically under-lit. Often, the sun coming through a window will render a character's arm or stomach visible, but the head will be shrouded in darkness. This would work well if this were a film noir, but given that this is supposed to be a feel-good comedy, I have to assume this was not intentional. It is a real problem in the scenes that Owen and Luke have together, since the only physical difference between the two is their hair color.I also need to say that the acting--except for the notable exception of Will Ferrell making the most of a small part--is mediocre at best. Luke Wilson has always been one of the blandest actors in Hollywood. Owen is a talented actor, but not here. Eddie Griffin is truly awful. Although Eva Mendes is pretty to look at, she's not much of an actress. And it's really saying something when I mention that Luke can't wring a good performance out of Harry Dean Stanton or Seymour Cassel.There are things that I liked about this movie. I have already mentioned the soundtrack and Will Ferrell's performance. I also give Wilson props for filming in North Central Austin (where I once lived and still frequent) instead of the usual haunts of UT, downtown and South Austin (seen in "Slacker", "The Life of David Gale" and "Grindhouse") where I rarely have any reason for going.Overall, I would have to say this movie was done by an enthusiastic but talentless amateur trying too hard to step out of his more-talented brother's shadow. But for Will Ferrell, I would have given this 5 out of 10. But Ferrell is so good, I will give it an extra star.