My Name Is Bruce
Gimme some sugar
Everyone loves Bruce Campbell. The start of the Evil Dead series and countless B-movies, Bruce Campbell has amassed a huge and loyal fanbase just based on his awesomeness. Even non-horror fans know him now, thanks to a successful role on the television show, Burn Notice. Since this is my 150threview (!!!), I thought I'd treat myself to the awesomness with a movie starring Bruce Campbell where he places...Bruce Campbell.
My Name Is Bruce is a 2007 horror comedy starring (duh) Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Maniac Cop) an amped up, over-the-top version of himself. In the small town of Goldlick, a mall goth teenager named Jeff (Taylor Sharpe) and some friends mess around in the graveyard of Chinese mine workers who died in a collapse. Jeff removes a medallion off a mausoleum, accidentally unleashing an ancient Chinese god of the dead and bean curd named Guan-Di. Jeff escapes and finds the only man who can help defeat Guan-Di: Bruce Campbell. Bruce is a disheveled raging alcoholic looking to get back on top, but is mired in awful horror movies. His agent, Mills Todner (Ted Raimi, Spider-Man, The Grudge) tries to find him work and promises him a special birthday surprise. When Jeff asks Bruce for help, he initially blows him off. Jeff knocks him out and kidnaps him, bringing him to Goldlick. When he is told by the townspeople that they want him to fight Guan-Di, Bruce thinks this is all a movie and goes along with the premise. Bruce tries to woo Jeff's mother, Kelly (Grace Thorsen) and after some initial repulsion, warms up to Bruce's charm. Joined by the townspeople, Bruce goes off to “fight” Guan-Di and runs away when he finds out that Guan-Di is, in fact, real. He returns to town when Jeff tells him that he is going to fight Guan-Di alone. Joined by Kelly, Bruce heads back to fight. How will they be able to defeat a god?
We're gonna need a bigger gun
As you can tell, this movie is just pure fun. There are plenty of genuinely funny moments from start to finish. The movie has a nice mixture of smart writing and physical comedy. The story itself is pretty basic and is really just a vehicle to give us a massive dose of the lead actor/character. It's nice to see the inclusion of a villain from a different culture not normally touched upon by a lot of horror. Unfortunately, this leads to a touch of racism in the movie. Ted Raimi also plays an old descendent of the Chinese miners named Wing, essentially being in “yellow face.” They couldn't have just hired a Chinese actor instead? You would want him painting his face black, calling himself Sambo, and doing a little soft-shoe, would you?
The script breaks the fourth wall a few times, giving the audience a weak and a nod, letting them in on the weird meta joke of Bruce Campbell playing Bruce Campbell, colossal B-movie dick. Bruce is wonderfully over-the-top and yet convincing at the same time. There is a decent amount of violence in the movie and there may in fact be more be-headings in My Name Is Bruce than some Friday The 13th movies. It has a decent amount of blood and rolling heads, but nothing particularly amazing. There's nothing particularly scary, so non-horror fans can still watch it.
You just heard a thousand nerds simultaneously orgasm
My Name Is Bruce is a pretty good comedy and a decent horror movie. There are some legitimately laugh out loud moments and a few good kills. Bruce Campbell is wonderful and he gets help from a good supporting cast. Despite a lot of laughs, some jokes fall flat and a few are regrettable. If you're looking for some laughs or just want to bask in Bruce Campbell's glowing awesometicity, My Name Is Bruce is for you.
7.5/10