Fantastic Fest 2009

Jemaine Clement, Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, Mike White, Michael Angarano and Sam Rockwell live in person!

With GENTLEMEN BRONCOS, Jared and Jerusha Hess return to form with many of the elements that made NAPOLEON DYNAMITE such a break out cult hit. Like Napoleon before him, Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) is a loner misfit who would rather spend his time alone in his room honing his craft than interact with other kids his own age. But while Napoleon was all about nunchuk skills and drawing ligers, Benjamin dreams of just one thing: being a published fantasy/science fiction writer, like his hero Ronald Chevalier. With that goal in mind, Benjamin takes his latest story, YEAST LORDS, with him to a writing convention specifically for other home-schooled children, and can't believe his eyes when Chevalier himself is one of the panelists and teachers for the weekend.

Like much of Hess' work, a lot of the comedy in BRONCOS is derived from the eccentric characters who inhabit a world that seems just slightly off center from ours. To make things even more sublimely ridiculous, though, throughout the film we're also treated to several different versions of YEAST LORDS played as almost a film-within-the-film, and watching that story change as it passes through the hands of the various characters in the main film becomes one of the most entertaining aspects of BRONCOS. The absolute highlights of the film, though, are twofold - the jet pack wearing stags armed with rocket launchers that the heroes of YEAST LORDS fly around on, and Jemaine Clements' outstanding portrayal of the smug, egotistical, and ultimately delusional Ronald Chevalier, whose scene-stealing performances will undoubtedly generate some of the most frequently quoted lines from any film in the festival.

But don't be fooled; whereas NAPOLEON DYNAMITE has been met with criticism for being comprised almost exclusively of little moments of cleverness, BRONCOS fills in the gaps around the Rocket Stags and Chevalier-isms with real plot and, for lack of a better word, heart. Anyone who ever spent a Sunday afternoon when they were fourteen trying to make their own movie in the backyard, or writing their own short stories or poetry, or even just building and painting models in their room, will feel a true connection to Benjamin through that early adolescent dreamer that's still alive somewhere inside of all of us. Having that sort of protagonist we can easily and immediately identify with is new ground for the Hesses, and it fleshes out the worlds they create perfectly. (Henri Mazza)

After the screening, attendees are invited to The Highball for the Brutus and Balzak Bash, the official Gentlemen Broncos afterparty.



ABOUT PARAMOUNT SEATING
As with all screenings at Fantastic Fest, VIP Badgeholders are guaranteed admission to the Paramount gala shows. By moving from the South Lamar theater to the Paramount, we have expanded the capacity of the gala shows so we can also accommodate a large number of regular badges as well. Regular badge holders are not guaranteed admission to the gala events, but far more will be able to get in than in years past.