Normal

Director: Ben Wheatley
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Story by: Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod
Composers: Harry Gregson-Williams, Ryder McNair
Genre: Action, Crime, Comedy, Thriller
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

Synopsis

Normal follows Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), a temporary sheriff assigned to the quiet Midwestern town of Normal, Minnesota. What initially appears to be a peaceful posting quickly unravels after a botched bank robbery exposes a much darker secret lurking beneath the town's seemingly ordinary exterior. Before long, Ulysses finds himself caught in a violent conspiracy involving the town's residents and, eventually, the Yakuza.

Review

Normal lives up to its name. It was normal. Nothing spectacular, but nothing quite damaging either. The movie is fun enough, the action is serviceable, and there is certainly enough here to make for an enjoyable evening. Unfortunately, not much about Normal ever really stood out to me.

The biggest problem is that Normal feels like a shell of other films we've already seen Bob Odenkirk do better, most notably his breakout action hit Nobody. Odenkirk has proven that he can be incredibly compelling as an ordinary-looking guy who gets dragged into extraordinary violence, but Normal doesn't quite give him a story interesting enough to make that premise feel fresh. In fact, I don't think I could tell you the name of a single character in this movie, outside the title character. That's usually not a great sign for a film built around a relatively small cast.

There are, however, some genuinely fun ideas here. I particularly enjoyed the decision to have the Yakuza operating in a small Minnesota town. There is something inherently amusing about taking this larger-than-life criminal organization and dropping it into a distinctly Midwestern setting. The movie also reminded me quite a bit of Werewolves Within(2021). If that quirky, small-town genre comedy is your kind of movie, I suspect you'll have a pretty good time with Normal.

The action is easily the strongest part of the film. Ben Wheatley demonstrates that he knows how to direct an action sequence, and there are some genuinely entertaining moments of violence throughout. The movie has energy when it needs it, and Odenkirk remains an enjoyable presence to watch in this kind of role. Honestly, the action made me wish the rest of the movie had been given the same attention.

Because there is clearly something here. I would love to see what Wheatley could do with a fuller and richer story. Normal has the pieces of a much more memorable movie, but they never quite come together. The premise is fun, the action works, and Odenkirk is an inherently watchable leading man. Unfortunately, the story surrounding those elements doesn't give them enough substance.

That becomes especially apparent in the third act, where Normal begins to struggle considerably. The movie abruptly shifts tone, and several characters begin making decisions that feel unusual for who they have been throughout the rest of the film. Rather than feeling like a natural escalation of the story, it feels as though the characters have suddenly been rewritten to get the movie where it needs to go. The result is a finale that feels considerably less satisfying than what came before it.

And that's ultimately where I land on Normal. It's enjoyable. I didn't hate watching it, and there are certainly things I liked about it. The action is fun, the Minnesota/Yakuza premise is amusing, and there is enough quirky charm here to make it worth a watch for the right audience. But nothing about the movie really stuck with me.

Normal is, appropriately enough, just normal. Not spectacular. Not disastrous. Just a perfectly serviceable movie that I enjoyed while I was watching it and will probably have forgotten about not too long afterward.

Final Grade: B-