Josh
Brolin stars as manly man Buck Ferguson, the star of a deer hunting show. He’s looking forward to his next episode in
which he’ll take his son Jaden (Montana Jordan) on his first deer hunt. He’s especially reliant on his trusty
cameraman Don (Danny McBride) to capture this special moment and preserve it forever
on film. I guess it goes without saying
it does not go as expected.
Director
Jody (Observe and Report) Hill (who also co-wrote the script with McBride) stops
short of making his characters exaggerated goofballs. If they knew they were funny, it wouldn’t
work. Watching Brolin trying to passionately
impart wisdom to his indifferent son while counting on McBride to get it all on
film is a quite often a thing a beauty.
The
Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter is a funny meditation on the ever-growing generation
gap. If you ever tried to share
something with your child, you’ll feel a pang of recognition here. The scenes the kid putting on his ear buds,
zoning out, constantly being on his phone, and talking incessantly in the deer stand
while Brolin begs him to be quiet is a recipe for hilarity.
The
snippets of Brolin’s deer hunting show are spot-on. If you’ve ever seen a hunting video, you’ll
recognize they’re lovingly done. Hill
isn’t making fun of hunters, just painting a funny portrait of them. I also loved the scenes where McBride and
Brolin capture footage for their “reality” show. The way they stage events so they feel more
spontaneous often leads to laughs.
Brolin
and McBride (who dials his usual schtick down) are in fine form. It’s Jordan who steals the movie though. He’s a good foil for his more seasoned
co-stars and it’s fun to see him take the wind out of their sails every chance
he gets.
There’s
nothing revelatory here. The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter is
admittedly predictable, and a tad slight.
It’s a simple story, well told, and provides plenty of laughs. So, in that regard, it hits the bulls’ eye.
AKA: My Deer Hunter Dad.
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