Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie (2008)
*** (out of 4)
An interesting if rather depressing documentary taking a look at Dallas Gilbert and Wayne Burton, two men from Portsmouth, Ohio who became friends because of their Bigfoot passion. The film runs 63-minutes and we're shown why the two men love Bigfoot and it's clear that it's because they have nothing else. Both men are broke. Both men are made fun of. Both men are mocked online, in the local media and sometimes by their children. The town they live in has pretty much dried up without any jobs being available. At one point Wayne says, "I'm a loser. I'm a complete failure. I never amounted to anything and I never will." and that type of comments are running through the film. I found this to be a very fascinating look at two interesting men. It's certainly not a very happy film but at the same time it's an entertaining one simply because both men are such interesting characters and it also shows how much people like to kick someone when they're down. The poor men are taken on a radio show to discuss the Bigfoot topic but the host, who is certainly more educated, makes the uneducated Dallas look like a complete fool. Then, a more famous Bigfoot hunter shows up and pretends to be their friend only to pretty much drop them after the first night and they end up going without the ones who brought them in. The movie has a lot of heart to it because you can tell that Dallas and Wayne don't have anything in their lives outside their passion for Bigfoot. The movie pays both of them respect, never makes fun of them nor does it ever try to be mean-spirited. One of the most touching moments is when Dallas is at a Bigfoot meeting in Tennessee and he's given an award for his work and he tries to say a few words but breaks down crying and leaves the room. What he then says to the camera was incredibly touching. I don't think there's any question that Dallas and Wayne will continue to be made fun of in certain circles because let's face it, posting stuff on the internet can lead to insults no matter what you're actually posting. We see the dozens of supposed Bigfoot pictures that they've taken so if you believe then I'm sure you'll love the pictures and if you don't believe then of course you're going to scream fake. Either way, NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE is a nice little gem that shows what a dream can help you escape in a less than good situation.
