by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
I’m a Breaking Bad fan, but I’m a Better Call Saul fanatic! The spinoff prequel to Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece is oft overlooked. Largely I would contribute its quality to Bob Odenkirk’s incredible performance as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. But the skeevy lawyer is by no means a John Wick type hero. So, when I saw Odenkirk star in the 2021 surprise hit Nobody I was pleasantly surprised at his action skills. With his new flick Normal being a kind of spiritual sequel to Nobody and Nobody 2, I found myself very interested in Odenkirk’s latest endeavor.
Ulysses (Odenkirk) is a beat sheriff. He’s temping as the man with a badge in the small town of Normal, North Dakota after the longtime sheriff has passed away. The late Sheriff’s daughter Alex (Jess McLeod) is a troubled ex-military serviceman, but no one else in the town screams danger. Normal is a nice place with colorful figures, like Mayor Kinney (Henry Winkler) who reeks of small-town charm or barkeep Moira (Lena Headley) who will keep your secrets and your drink filled. There’s a handful of cops and business owners around town too, but again no one else is that interesting. However, when drifters Lori (Reena Jolly) and Keith (Brendan Fletcher) decide to rob the bank, things go haywire for them and our sheriff as they learn more about this small town than they bargained.
Odenkirk is the lead for a reason, and he keeps making these kinds of movies for a reason: He is the perfect everyman. He conveys an energy of someone just doing their job and wanting to head home at 5pm. By no means is this a depressed performance; Ulysses is just a little worn down, but he does want everything to go smoothly. And his reaction and cool demeanor in the face of danger makes it easy to cheer for him too. His lack of superstar charisma or machismo make him surprisingly cool here.
Unfortunately, he is about the only character I care for in this movie. Almost the entirety of the supporting cast is relegated to bit parts. Headey and Winkler have notoriety and talent, and they are welcome performances. But I think they combine have less than 15 minutes of screen time.
Instead, much of this focus goes to the bank robbers and the sheriff’s daughter. McLeod has more of a fleshed-out character as a veteran who just lost her father. There is a smart scene between her and Odenkirk discussing grief and mistakes. More of her would have been beneficial to the audience. Jolly and Fletcher are fine characters but they are drifters not heroes. Aside from a cute dog they are taking care of, there are no reasons to root for them. Also, their story gets wrapped up relatively quickly. It felt like a waste of time to focus on them when McLeod was a solid choice.
I do like the vibe of the movie taking place in one day during a snowstorm. All-in-one-day stories are usually good for tension-filled setups like a bank robbery. Also, I just love the blizzard aesthetic. Growing up in the desert made me appreciate every snowfall and it feels magical when it’s pouring snow outside. The cinematography here really captures the magic of the winter season.
In addition, there is a surprise bad buy that gets thrown into the story. I wish there had been a little more hinting to this surprise bad guy. They add a level of threat that was not present before, but their presence does not make sense with the small-town vibe. What makes it worse is they don’t show up during the actual snowy part of the movie, and we have to wait for them.
Once again though the action in these Odenkirk-led features is strong. The camera follows the action seamlessly with a reasonable amount of cuts. What they do best is not confusing the audience and allowing the spectacle to sit with the viewer. We need to feel the impact of a bullet or a punch, and Normal does that well. The action and Odenkirk’s performance are what keep us interested. Normal does not reach the heights of action that Nobody reaches, but if it gets us closer to an absolute masterpiece from Odenkirk as he refines his skills as a surprise super soldier than I am down to show up.
Rating: Low Side of Liked It
Normal is currently playing in theaters.
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