My Name Is Bruce (DVD Review)

12 Jan, 2009 By: Kyra Kudick

Prebook 1/13/09; Street 2/10/09
Image
Comedy
Box Office $0.17 million
$27.98 DVD, $35.98 Blu-ray
Rated ‘R’ for language and some violence.
Stars Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi.

I would dearly love to say that My Name Is Bruce is one of the greatest spoof movies of all time, but I just can’t. While the concept is near genius, the execution is disappointing, an overall not-so-funny comedy with a few moments of true hilarity.

One of the funniest things about the film is the concept. Bruce Campbell plays himself (well, a down-and-out version we can only hope is fiction), as a ‘B’-movie actor who will take any role to make some cash. When he is kidnapped by one of his überfans (think Comic-Con) to save a small town from an ancient Chinese demon, he thinks it is a prank birthday present from his agent and decides to play along with the townspeople, not realizing the demon is an actual threat.

The plot device leaves a lot of room for inside jokes (particularly for those fans of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness) and pop-culture references. Some of them are laugh-out-loud funny, but most of them fall flat. Fans of Campbell have a better chance at enjoying the film than those who are unfamiliar with his work. I have been a long-time fan, so I found the experience a little like watching the Christmas pageant of a favorite nephew — I knew it wasn’t great, but my affection for the actor still made me shake my head and chuckle at the bad jokes.

Even if the movie isn’t the funniest thing I’ve seen, I have to admire a man who can take a joke — especially when the joke is on him.

The DVD includes a ton of extras, including the featurette “Heart of Dorkness: The Making of My Name Is Bruce”; the featurette “Hard Truth News from Hollywood — The Real Bruce Campbell,” a spoof of “E! True Hollywood Story”; and commentary with Campbell and Mike Richardson.