Before ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ Its Director Created One of the Weirdest, Wildest Movies of the ’00s

Jared Hess is fast becoming known for films that enjoy a surprising amount of success, and aren’t the types of films that one would expect to have success. First up was Napoleon Dynamite, which chronicled the life of Jon Heder‘s extremely awkward titular teenager. The film became a cult phenomenon, to the point where it spawned a short-lived animated series and an unofficial festival in Idaho. Nacho Libre would harness the power of Jack Black to sell the story of an orphaned cook turned masked wrestler, and survived mixed reviews to become a cult classic. Now, Hess has a legitimate blockbuster under his belt with A Minecraft Movie, which is sitting on top of the box office (not to mention holding the title of the highest-grossing video game movie). But there’s one film Hess made that few under people’s radar: Gentlemen Broncos.

Gentlemen Broncos bears most of the hallmarks of Hess’s work: it takes place in a small town where its protagonist struggles with social awkwardness but finds an outlet where he can truly express himself, and it mines humor from the most unexpected sources. But it goes to some very weird places in the process, to the point where it might have caused a major disconnect between critics and audiences. Despite this, Gentlemen Broncos is at least worth watching for the window it grants into Hess’ creative process.

‘Gentleman Broncos’ Is About Creative Expression

Gentlemen Broncos finds teenager Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) attending a two-day writing event. It’s a major step for Benjamin; all his life, he’s been fairly sheltered, whether it’s being homeschooled or working with his mother, Judith (Jennifer Coolidge), to sell women’s clothing. What spare time he has is dedicated to writing a sci-fi series titled Yeast Lords, which catches the eye of fellow writer/budding filmmaker Lonnie Donaho (Héctor Jiménez) and instructor Ronald Chevalier (Jermaine Clement). Both of them end up putting their own spin on Benjamin‘s work, with Lonnie paying him $500 to adapt Yeast Lords into a film. The movie winds up being a Star Wars ripoff, and Chevalier ultimately plagiarizes Benjamin’s work when his latest manuscript is rejected. Soon, Benjamin is pushed to his breaking point by watching his work being poorly adapted.

Therein lies the crux of Gentlemen Broncos: at what point does your work not become your work? To hammer it home, Hess cuts between Benjamin’s growing plight and the three different versions of Yeast Lords — two of them featuring Sam Rockwell as the protagonist, Bronco. Bronco changes depending on whose version of the story is being told. Under Benjamin’s pen, he’s a confident, stag-riding hero. When Chevalier writes him, he dons a bright pink jumpsuit, a long flowing white wig, and increasingly effeminate manners. It’s a testament to Rockwell’s acting skills that he is able to pull off two different versions of the same character, and it leans into Benjamin’s dilemma at seeing his work being changed so drastically.

Poor Reviews and a Limited Theatrical Rollout Doomed ‘Gentleman Broncos’

There’s a reason why not many people have heard of Gentlemen Broncos, and that’s due to the fact that it didn’t have a wide theatrical release. This was due to early reviews being utterly scathing; Roger Ebert described Gentlemen Broncos as having a “jumbled plot,” while another review called it a “deliberately amateurish, self-indulgent effort.” As a result, Gentlemen Broncos never made it past Los Angeles and New York theaters — a far cry from the rollout Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre received. But in the years following its release, Gentlemen Broncos has received a reappraisal from film writers. Praise has been given to its unique visual style and how Hess showcases Benjamin’s growth. The New Yorker‘s Richard Brody even referred to it as “the most original movie about religion ever made,” which is a claim you wouldn’t expect from a coming-of-age comedy.

Above all else, Gentlemen Broncos is an example of how Jared Hess’ filmography has remained unpredictable. Whether it’s a weirdly deep story about a writer struggling to express his spirit, or a big-budget video game adaptation built on creativity, you never know what to expect from him. The cinematic landscape could use more of that unpredictability, and arguably more scenes of Sam Rockwell riding a magnificent stag.

Gentlemen Broncos is available to rent from Prime Video.

Gentlemen Broncos

Release Date

September 30, 2009

Runtime

90

Director

Jared Hess

Writers

Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

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