The Wendell Baker Story

Name: The Wendell Baker Story
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: May 18, 2007
Duration: 99 min
Rating: 44
Cast: Eva Mendes, Luke Wilson, Seymour Cassel

2007

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

See All

6.8

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.8	Your Score
6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Wendell Baker Story

Now Playing: The Wendell Baker Story

Movie Details & Credits

THINKFilm | Release Date: May 18, 2007 | PG-13

Starring: Eva Mendes, Luke Wilson, Seymour Cassel

Summary: Smart, sweet, hip, and engaging, this film celebrates the precipitous fall and rise of an oxymoronic movie hero - a winning loser who follows his own path. Baker, a lovable con man with high ambitions and low energy, likes to dream and scheme about tomorrow, without paying any attention to the realities of today. He embarks on a great comicSmart, sweet, hip, and engaging, this film celebrates the precipitous fall and rise of an oxymoronic movie hero - a winning loser who follows his own path. Baker, a lovable con man with high ambitions and low energy, likes to dream and scheme about tomorrow, without paying any attention to the realities of today. He embarks on a great comic misadventure that in a sometimes roundabout, but always entertaining, way, leads straight to happy endings. (ThinkFIlm)… Expand

Director: Andrew Wilson and Luke Wilson

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 99 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon

A loose-knit, character-driven comedy that percolates with good-vibe amusement, often earning industrial-strength guffaws with sneaky one-liners and tossed-off non-sequiturs. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Slight but consistently entertaining. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Directing seems to suit Luke, who also does some of his best work to date on screen. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

A shiny shell of a movie, "TWBS" is pretty to look at, and occasionally fun to watch. But ultimately, it's an exercise in futility - for the participants, who can do so much more, and the audience, which deserves so much better. Read full review

Stephen Holden

The appeal of The Wendell Baker Story depends on how charming you find the Wilson brothers, with their chipmunk grins and hip smart-aleck attitude. For my taste, a little goes a long way. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Feels like an attempt to rebottle the postmodern fizz of Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket." I wish instead they'd put a stopper in it. Read full review

Premiere Peter Debruge

Movies in which the same person serves as writer, director, and star should carry a special warning for audiences, even if that individual happens to be an actor as endearing as Luke Wilson. Read full review

SEE ALL 15 REVIEWS

Write a Review

Mixed:

User Reviews

DawdlingPoet

Nov 27, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Luke certainly does play the part quite well, its what you'd expect from him really, equipped with a shabby striped suit, sunglasses some of the time and a confident swagger that I guess you'd expect from such a character.

It is quite slushy/sentimental I suppose but it is also funny in parts too and it works pretty well as a basic sentimental comedy, I think. You do feel quite an attachment for the residents of the home/hotel, as well as Wendell himself, who although appears to be very self centered at first, turns out to have his heart in the right place.

Luke uses his sort of usual pained eyebrow expression to convey that he is somewhat more lost inside and not really that cocky and self assured guy that he appears to be at first.

The ending is quite pleasing, if not quite cheesy but considering the kind of movie it is, as I say its a sentimental comedy, its good. Its a different role for Owen too, as Neil King, playing the 'villain' but he pulls it off quite well, with a few evil stares to convince us that he's not a nice guy.

This is a fairly light sentimental comedy, that does have a fair amount of funny scenes and a big amount of sentimentality to it. Its good for Wilson fans, with Luke playing the main role and Owen featuring too and of course the movie was directed by Luke and fellow brother Andrew and it was written by Luke, so its a real family project and thus will be of interest to fans of them.

Its about what you'd expect, if you heard about the basic story and knew who was starring in it, you can probably guess what its like, its not entirely unpredictable but I quite enjoyed it all the same. Certainly the ending I thought was quite pleasing, I like that the characters are portrayed in a way to make us feel quite attached to them and so when the stories are all brought to an end, its quite satisfying, put it that way!.

The main cast all do well in portraying their characters and overall its a decent enough movie, it may seem a bit average or too sentimental or slushy perhaps but now you know what its about then you know to expect that, so its no excuse lol no I think that Wilson fans will definitely enjoy this movie and its a decent enough movie, I enjoyed watching it and I particularly liked the character portrayal, the way that Wendell was shown at first as being some self assured guy but we're then shown a different side to him and the ending, like I keep saying, I thought was quite pleasing! if not a little cheesy perhaps but hey, I forgive them for that (me, biased? *ahem* no...?!).

Yes I would recommend this movie, its something a bit different to most movies I think and particularly to fans of the Wilson brothers.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 1 REVIEWS