Tall Tale is a pretty dumb film, and contains an UNFORGIVABLE 'twist' 15 minutes from the end... But at least you can't accuse it of lacking imagination.
Apart from in the set-up, that is. A land-hungry baron during the Ol' West wants to buy up the property of nearby farmers. If they refuse to comply, he has his army of goons to do his dirty work for him. Guess what happens to the only farmer to protest this policy... And guess who 'inherits' the deeds to the land so he can go on a 'mystical quest' with them, to hide from the baddies. That's right... His 12 year old son.
En route, he befriends great figures of American legend... Such as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Nope, I haven't heard of any them either... But then again, I am merely an uneducated Brit. Together, they encounter bandits, get lost in a desert and arrested by Calamity Jane. Ever get the feeling some writers pick out random events from a hat, rather than bother with a concise story?
As the music reaches a crescendo constantly (but fails to inspire) and the evil dudes chew the scenery (but fail to intimidate), you wonder what this is all working towards. Well, having reached a dead end with their shaggy dog story of a screenplay, the people behind this mess pull the old 'IT WAS ALL A DREAM' cliché just before the credits roll... And then, fail to even follow through on that miserable old plot device.
So, in a final confrontation that even defies the pathetic logic set up by the makers, you wonder: Just what is the moral here?
It's a good thing to risk your life for a farm, which is probably going to kill you through stress and overwork anyway?
Fictional figures from history will save your bacon when all else fails (I'm thinking Bill & Ted did that one better)?
Or maybe, when you're on a roll career-wise it's best to choose your roles more carefully... Because no matter how far up the hill you are, you can always come tumbling down? (Not mentioning any names... *Swayz..* AHEM... Bad cough I've got there)...
Yeah, let's go with that one. 4/10
Apart from in the set-up, that is. A land-hungry baron during the Ol' West wants to buy up the property of nearby farmers. If they refuse to comply, he has his army of goons to do his dirty work for him. Guess what happens to the only farmer to protest this policy... And guess who 'inherits' the deeds to the land so he can go on a 'mystical quest' with them, to hide from the baddies. That's right... His 12 year old son.
En route, he befriends great figures of American legend... Such as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Nope, I haven't heard of any them either... But then again, I am merely an uneducated Brit. Together, they encounter bandits, get lost in a desert and arrested by Calamity Jane. Ever get the feeling some writers pick out random events from a hat, rather than bother with a concise story?
As the music reaches a crescendo constantly (but fails to inspire) and the evil dudes chew the scenery (but fail to intimidate), you wonder what this is all working towards. Well, having reached a dead end with their shaggy dog story of a screenplay, the people behind this mess pull the old 'IT WAS ALL A DREAM' cliché just before the credits roll... And then, fail to even follow through on that miserable old plot device.
So, in a final confrontation that even defies the pathetic logic set up by the makers, you wonder: Just what is the moral here?
It's a good thing to risk your life for a farm, which is probably going to kill you through stress and overwork anyway?
Fictional figures from history will save your bacon when all else fails (I'm thinking Bill & Ted did that one better)?
Or maybe, when you're on a roll career-wise it's best to choose your roles more carefully... Because no matter how far up the hill you are, you can always come tumbling down? (Not mentioning any names... *Swayz..* AHEM... Bad cough I've got there)...
Yeah, let's go with that one. 4/10