Sodbusters (1994 TV Movie) User Reviews

"Shane" Takeoff Pretty Funny

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 9 August 2006]

This caught me by surprise being much better than I anticipated and a very likable film. Yes, it had its liberal bias but the comedy was consistent, the profanity low (it was a made-for-TV film) and the story very interesting.

It was a takeoff on "Shane" with Kris Kristofferson plays the low-key gunman (Alan Ladd's role in "Shane.") Fred Willard is the farmer who stands up to the local land-grabbing bully (John Vernon, who played a lot of villains in his day). It's nicely filmed, too. I didn't know it was out on DVD until I just checked this IMDb page, and perhaps I'll pick it up.

Wendel Medrum is a pretty woman whom I have never seen before or since. Even though this was a TV movie, I would not recommend it as "family viewing" with the sexual innuendos, gay guys, an adulterous wife, etc.

All in all, a fun movie that exceeds expectations.

Worth a try

[vlahov · 5/10 · 11 May 2005]

Heh. A dumb western with a plot. So cartoonish and dumb characters you haven't seen since Beavis and Butthead. Sometimes it is so dumb it becomes to be funny. But humor is a way overdosed. Maybe it was meant to be a parody but they just put too much salt on it. Worth a try especially when you have nothing else to do, and I get cold lying in bed. Well something more. I wish I could met this Missy around :) And to speak with that immortal man with 18 open wounds ... Well that's life. It was not meant to be taken seriously. To the IMDb owners - do you REALLY think that all movies NEEDS to be reviewed in _TEN_ lines? In some cases, two lines are more than enough ...

Eugene Levy comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

It's 1875 Colorado. Greedy cattle rancher Slade Cantrell (John Vernon) is pushing for the railroad to go through his land. The only problem is the group of settlers led by Clarence Gentry (Fred Willard). A stranger named Destiny (Kris Kristofferson) rides into town.

This is a spoof of the western genre written and directed Eugene Levy. The movie needs to settle on a spoof level. It doesn't start out as funny. The dildo bit sets it to be completely insane. The movie baubles between those two. It's like the two leads in Willard and Kristofferson. I do enjoy some of the weird humor in this especially with Willard performing. Wendel Meldrum and Don Lake are two of the better comedic actors. I get the comedy writing. I'm less sure about the directing. This is trying to be Blazing Saddles, but it's only hitting about half the time. Here's my suggestion. Eugene Levy should play Destiny.

It's Shane meets Blazing Saddles

[Pip-Nosher · 10/10 · 13 January 1999]

Kris Kristofferson is at his driest in this weird take on the classic loner-in-a-frontier-town tale. Take Shane and add a liberal dose of Blazing Saddles, although the humor in this film is unique for the genre. Of particular note is the running "fatcakes" gag and the bad guys' frequent lame attempts to flame Kristofferson: "It's kind of a bad taste smell." And a visit to Shorty's house is always good for a laugh.

Unique, hilarious Western

[Newcritic · 30 November 2002]

Eugene Levy and John Hemphill, "SCTV" and "Maniac Mansion" veterans, take those shows' unique, droll humour and superimpose it on a classic Western storyline, and the result is spectacular. Hemphill and George Buza are hilarious as part of a hyper-Tarantinesque group of nefarious armchair proto-pop-philosophers trying to force several families off their land. Fred Willard is at his best as the dim-witted homesteader who stands in their way, gleefully unaware that his hired hand (Kris Kristofferson) is being openly pursued by his lascivious wife (very memorably played by Wendel Meldrum).

This type of humour works brilliantly in TV series, but experiences mild growing pains being transferred to feature length -- this movie does drag in spots. But it's still hilarious thanks to the great writing and performances, and is definitely recommended to all fans of this sort of drollery, and to anyone looking for a radically, refreshingly different take on the Wild West.

Very funny satire

[rjm811 · 10/10 · 4 February 2007]

I thought this film was very well-made for the type of humor it was going for (and which is my type)- Dry, droll, and using scenes which happen in real life.

Take when Shorty tries to rally support to fight the "barons". At one point, he forgets a word, and though it's a common word, no one else can get his clues; just like it's happened to me before. It's frustrating, so it's funny. A paraphrase of the scene, which actually extends further into the film at an unexpected moment. "... so,what are you gonna do? Nothing? You gonna just stick your heads in the sand like a.. a... hell,a.. Big bird, runs like hell..(everyones looking confused, shaking heads) Hides it's head in sand! A big bird!

You know, real long legs, runs like hell...(no one gets it)

Then 15 minutes later, when Shorty and the others enter the saloon where the bad guys hang- a somber moment, you can hear a pin drop- Shorty suddenly yells out, "Ostrich!". This caught me by surprise, and tied in with the humor of the first part of the scene in a way that had me rolling on the floor almost. Or when they meet in Shorty's house _ where everythings scaled uncomfortably down in size for a small person- Shorty has a huge fire burning in the fireplace, and everyone's sweating, and the one guy says "is it dry in here, or is it me?" And his top lip is stuck way up on his teeth, very funny visual.

Or Fred willard's comment to his son about something, and uses the word "ironical".

Or when the dumb bad guy tries to outdo Kristoferson (sp) in rhetoric:

" where you from stranger?"

(dryly) "A little place you probably never heard of"

"Try me"

"Texas"

"Hell, I heard a Texas!"

" Well maybe you ain't as dumb as you look"

(Bad guys thinking hard for a moment) Then says: "Well maybe I am, and maybe I ain't" Good movie.