Accidental Texan (#535)

On Easter Sunday, we had a choice of three films—two were what I think are called biopics, about celebrities Gene Wilder and William Shatner.  Neither of us wanted to see them, so we took the third choice and were very happy we did, because ACCIDENTAL TEXAN was a good, old-fashion action feel-good comedy/drama that was perfect for the day.  It starred an actor you don’t see very often.  In fact, the only movie I ever remember seeing him in (though he may have been in many more) was Sideways, an offbeat comedy/drama about two men which took place in California's wine country.  The actor in Texan who teamed with Paul Giamatti in that one was Thomas Hayden Church, and he is a winner in this one too.  We are introduced in the beginning to a young Harvard dropout student who is starring in his first big movie role being filmed in New Orleans, and in his first scene, he blows it and gets fired.  He is driving back to L.A. and his car breaks down in the middle of Texas (he doesn’t have money to repair it).  He walks to the closest town and is befriended by a sympathetic waitress in the local restaurant who introduces him to Church who is a rambunctious oil man who takes him under his wing as a partner and assistant in his endeavor to get a property lease he hopes will produce a winning well.  Together they endure adventures of all kinds including the always-present villains trying to thwart them as they seek their goal, eventually finding and persuading an old codger property owner played by Bruce Dern to join them.  It is funny and fun and well acted by all, and is the epitome of a feel-good movie with the same feeling and eventual happy endings found in such classics as Miracle on 34th Street, It’s A Wonderful Life and other similar films—predictable but lovable.  Didn’t think they’d make one like that in this day and age.  While only 55% of critics gave it a thumbs up, all the positive reviews came from those dubbed Top Critics, and 95% of audiences loved it, too.