Manure (2009)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Michael Polish

Writers (WGA):

Mark Polish (written by) &
Michael Polish (written by)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A comedy about manure salesmen in 1960s heartland America.

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Patrick
Téa Leoni	...	Rosemary Rose
Mark Polish	...	Thaddeus Young
Ed Helms	...	Chet Pigford
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Jimmy St. James
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Cleveland Clod
Frances Conroy	...	Agnes May
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aria Alpert	...	Housewife #4
Sean Andrews	...	Miracle Worker
Michael Arturo	...	Hot Dog Vendor
Patrick Bauchau	...	Mr. Rose
Brooke Baumer	...	Housewife #5
Christian Eric Billings	...	Miracle Worker
Brent Briscoe	...	Shotgun Farmer
Scott Michael Campbell	...	Mr. Diehl
Damian Cecere	...	Miracle Worker
Luke Cheeseman	...	Miracle Worker #8
Carolyn Christian	...	Buyer (as Carole Bardwell)
David A. Cooper	...	Miracle Worker #1
Vincent De Paul	...	Milagro Miracle Worker
Janet DuBois	...	Housewife #2
Gerald Emerick	...	Sunflower Farmer
Steve Fite	...	Miracle Worker #4
Massi Furlan	...	Milagro man at diner
Jon Gries	...	Early Dunchanp
Jeff Gum	...	Miracle Worker #5
Brian A. Gutierrez	...	Miracle Worker
Jeffrey Hallman	...	Miracle Worker #7
Valorie Hubbard	...	Waitress Grace
Derek Johnson	...	Milagro man
Ken Johnson	...	Miracle worker #2
Bryan Law	...	Bean Farmer
Martin Mathieu	...	Miracle Worker
Don McGovern	...	Miracle worker
D.W. Moffett	...	Agent Chestnut
Tony Monsour	...	FBI Agent
Erin O'Shaughnessy	...	Mrs. Diehl
Jamie Preston	...	Miracle Worker
David Schroeder	...	Federal Judge
David Shackelford	...	Carrot farmer
Aaron Skinner	...	Miracle Worker
Sadie Stratton	...	Housewife #3
Mark Tomesek	...	Potato Farmer
Elizabeth Van Amelsvoort	...	Miracle Worker
Liz Van Amelsvoort	...	Miracle Worker
Rachel Winfree	...	Housewife #1

Runtime:

USA:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Filming Locations:

Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Prohibition Pictures

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I watched this at Sundance (not the premiere) and the audience laughed at some of the opening scenes but soon ended up almost completely silent through the rest of the film. Plenty of "when is this going to be over?" shifting and sighing by the end. Everyone left, overall underwhelmed. In fact, I heard one person remark (of the several big stars in the film), "How did they talk those people into doing that?"

It is, however, often visually compelling (a dreamy, somewhat aged look in a wash of brown (no doubt to ensure that the entire film revolves around its title subject)) but after a while even that gets old under the heft of repetitious "cleverly funny" names, predictable jokes and a limp plot. And, yeah, the villains are villainous enough that you root for the poop guys but, otherwise, it's hard to feel much emotion for them. As with the film, I tried to like the characters enough to care about the outcome but it just didn't happen.

Overall (almost from the very beginning), the film felt like it was trying its damnedest to be something that it possibly could've been (if it had, for one thing, better writing) -- a sort of "Amélie" ode to a not-so-faraway era of dapper salesmen in the American Heartland. Pff, never mind -- it just wanted to be an "Amélie" -- clever, stunning, lovable and, yet, with "an outrageous, ingenious subject!" of something normally "yucky" at its core.

It wanted to be talked about with wide eyes. It wanted to wow, it wanted to dazzle, it wanted to be beloved for its vision. It wanted to be the secret gem you share with your friends. (Yawn) Whatever. The strain was tiring. It's like the people who try too hard to be cool -- the trying makes them uncool. Less self-conscious posing and better writing combined with the visual appeal could've made it so much more.

Oh, and the bottom line behind the wispy backdrop of a phony, ethereal Kansas: This thing obviously ate a lot of money so it could get dumped out onto an audience. I'm guessing many who invested their cash (and those who showed their face therein) are wishing they could cram it back into the screen and regurgitate all that moolah. A shame.