Magnolia Pictures
Normal is a little movie that snuck out last year and then seemed to me to disappear.
I remember the trailer for it and then nothing.
Now that I’ve had a chance to see it, I can’t imagine why because it’s really entertaining.
The setting is reminiscent of Fargo, with lots of snowy driving shots. Lots!
Our main character is Ulysses, the new, easygoing, friendly, temporary sheriff of the small town of Normal, Minnesota.
He’s in office for only eight weeks, filling in for the old sheriff who died suddenly until an election can be held.
Right up front, he says his goal is to leave the town exactly the way he found it.
Normal is also reminiscent of Fargo in that everyone seems to have a secret and you have multiple storylines rapidly converging toward each other and what you know will be a particularly violent climax.
Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk has proven himself to be a surprisingly good actor, capable of memorable histrionics or, as often in this film, as Ulysses, some extremely subtle turns. He’s also very personable here. You like him and quickly accept him and wonder why some others seem to have more trouble with that.
Odenkirk himself was one of the writers and producers. He seems to have a good feel as to the type of role that works best for him. Overall, the pacing is very good, building logically from its slow start.
The cinematography, from Cuban-born Armando Salas is quite lovely throughout. Over and over again, he captures some stark, beautiful images, both of the open country and of small-town America. British director Ben Wheatley does an impressive job of capturing that uniquely American small-town feel as well.
Not a lot of other familiar names in the cast, with the exception being Henry Winkler, cast against type as a manipulative town mayor. I never watched Game of Thrones but my wife tells me Lena Headey was amazing on it. She plays my other favorite character in Normal as well, a bartender who, like most bartenders, has learned a lot about people, and secrets.
Normal, you see, has one big secret, and one day, through something that could not have been foreseen, that secret is jeopardized, and the viewer learns that everything you thought you knew about all the characters up to that point, including the sheriff, was wrong.
Like Twin Peaks, where Agent Cooper constantly left recorded messages for the originally unseen Diane, the conceit here is that the sheriff has an estranged wife he keeps updating on what he’s up to, acting as an excuse to give the viewer exposition. We lose that a little ways in, but pick it up again with a nice touch at the conclusion.
There are plot holes and loose threads aplenty, unlikely plot developments, and several false climaxes. If one thinks about any of the story too logically, it falls apart. The good thing about this type of movie is that it tends to work against the viewer putting too much thought into it.
Let’s face it, Normal is, over and above anything else, a vehicle for Bob Odenkirk. It’s not meant to be an Oscar winner. It’s filled with dark humor and Bob is just so darned entertaining, you go with it. You just run with the plot, and only think about why it wouldn’t work after the fact. While I was watching, I was just enjoying myself. The sheriff isn’t a superhuman John Wick type, or even a “Nobody” type, but he’s a relatable quick thinker, and he gets a happy ending. In this type of movie, that’s what’s important.
Extras include featurettes, interviews, and trailers.
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