DVD Review: My Name is Bruce
My Name is Bruce (2008)
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Release Date: February 9, 2009
Directed By: Bruce Campbell
Cast: Bruce Campbell
Brutal As Hell Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Review By: Dustin Hall
I’m a fan of Bruce Campbell.
I remember my first encounter with him, as a child, being let into a screening of Army of Darkness by a theater employee, who didn’t mind overlooking my age and the R rating, at the 2nd run screen we had in town. The movie wasn’t what I was expecting, not the epic of horror and blood that my hasty examination of the skeletons on the poster had led me to expect. Rather, I was treated to an irreverent mix of action and comedy, with a nifty back-story pulled over from the Evil Dead series. There was a mix of physical humor, wit, and bravado that few, if any, could match.
Over the years, with Bruce continually doing B-movies, Evil Dead video games, and of course there’s the Army of Darkness comic book series that is now published by Dynamic Forces, the legacy of Ashley J. Williams and his battles with the Necronomicon has been kept alive. I was excited to get a chance to review My Name is Bruce, a little indy film not only starring, but directed by, Bruce Campbell as a send up to his career.
Is it wrong of me to say I’m getting tired of the shtick?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way tired of Bruce or his panache for comedic timing and delivery, the man is hilarious. I suppose my biggest problem with this film is the script, which is nothing short of a dogmatic attempt to revive Army of Darkness. Again. In the 17 years since AoD, we’ve been treated to nothing but attempts by fans to recapture the same magic by gagging us on the same lines. Ash’s one reference to his gun as a ‘boomstick’ now becomes a catchphrase, uttered in every game, in every issue of his comic. Bruce has one plotline: mystic evil comes up, slapstick humor, send demons back through a rift. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Now, had this been the only attempt at nostalgia for Bruce’s career, I’d probably be charmed by it. Such is not the case. For almost two decades now, we’ve had the same plot, the same lines, and the same bag over and over. I grant you, that’s part of the gag of My Name is Bruce. It realizes that Bruce has run through the same plot many times over, and that’s why the townsfolk pick him to be their hero. At the same time, it can’t help but run through the paint-by-numbers approach of so many of the very movies that it seeks to lampoon. What new material is there doesn’t completely work either. There are such mis-fires as a dance competition between Bruce and leading lady Grace Thorsen that garners more eye-rolls than belly-laughs.
Of course, I complain, but there are some good aspects of the film. Performances are typically pretty fun, Bruce seems to enjoy poking fun at himself and Ted Raimi plays 3 or 4 characters with goofy glee. There are tons of nods and winks at other, non-Army of Darkness films that are fun to pick out. The industry jokes, such as Bruce knowing how to hold and look cool with all of the guns, but not knowing their names or operation, all work wonderfully. You’ll also know why a Bruce Campbell cardboard cut-out is a must have in home security and defense.
The DVD and Blu-Ray offer plenty of ‘making of’ bits and mock trailers that are at least as much fun as the actual film; you can tell the cast and crew had a blast putting this film together. For those who wonder, I’d tend to recommend the DVD release on a low-budget film like this, but the Blu-Ray is only $1 more online, so go ahead and pick it up. For the chance that a ‘Bruce on a bender” feature might be up for download in the future, it’s worth the extra scratch
Ultimately, though, what’s been created is a film that’s a worthy rental for someone with an appreciation for a B-movie legacy, and a must own only for the most fervent, die-hard Bruce Campbell fans. For the casual viewer, though, there’s not much more to be found here, other than maybe a reminder of how talented Bruce Campbell is, and how wasted so much of his talent is on eternal rehashes of his work with Sam Raimi.
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“Give me some sugar, Boomstick. Groovy.” *cue chainsaw*
2.0/5
