NINETOES VS. NORMAL

Ninetoes went to a NORMAL town in Minnesota. He remembered something his grandfather once said, “The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets.” This town has a big secret indeed!

NORMAL Centers on a temporary small-town sheriff who uncovers dark mysteries after a local bank robbery.

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Written by Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk

Starring Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan

Run Time: 92 minutes

Rated R

Streaming on HBO MAX

Hey there, movie lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today I am taking a look at Bob Odenkirk’s shoot ‘em up extravaganza, Normal. I have popcorn in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

Welcome to Normal, Minnesota; the town so friendly that you would almost swear everyone is on serious drugs. We are talking a “Ted Lasso” level of friendliness here. In fact, the beginning of this movie runs like “Mayberry, RFD” with extra whipped cream.

Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is the interim mayor. The small-town life suits him. He will go and settle minor disputes, and when he issues a parking ticket, there is no fine. It reads “Park better”. Yes siree, small town life suits Richardson. Even the mayor (Winkler) likes the job he is doing so much that he offers Richardson the permanent spot. Then a botched bank robbery sends the whole town into a major tizzy, and it is open season. You see, the bank robbers hit on Normal’s deep, dark, secret. The kind of secret that the Yakuza would wipe the entire town out to keep.

If you are going into this movie with a serious frame of mind, tamp that down. This is a popcorn movie. It is a no-brainer It is as campy as the summer day is hot and long, and the action is over the top. When the lead flies, there are laughable moments. Not because it is unbelievable. Because it is darkly funny. Think “Keystone Cops” meets “Die Hard”. A lot of the action almost reminds me of a Rube Goldberg Machine: a gun fires and the bullet ricochets until the intended target is hit by something entirely different.

The acting is good. We are not talking about an Academy Award contender here, and the cast knew it. You could tell they had fun on the set, and that made the movie even better. What I find ironic is that Bob Odenkirk becomes an action hero (Nobody, Nobody 2, and Normal) AFTER his heart attack. It was like the universe tapped him on the shoulder after Bruce Willis could not do it anymore, and he was more than willing to step in to fill the void. Personally, I am grateful he did.

This was 92 minutes of fun. I liked this one so much, I will definitely be giving it another look. It is a perfect popcorn-munching summer action movie, and it will trip the trigger of fans of the genre.

I give this one 4.5 popcorn buckets out of 5!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.