If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) is picked up one work day in south Texas by his longtime girlfriend, Doreen (Eva Mendes). He is startled to have her pull over for a chat. Its a day of reckoning. Eva loves Wendell but she is unhappy that he can't hold down a steady job and that he is always pursuing get-rich schemes. So, she wants to move on and Wendell has to play along. Shortly after, WB and his close friend Reyes (Jacob Vargax, from Romy and Michelle) are caught by cops in their side business of giving identification cards to migrant farm workers so they can stay in the United States. Pleading for leniency for Reyes, Wendell takes most of the punishment, two years in prison. But, when he gets out, he's a changed man. He's going to enter the hotel business and get Doreen back. But, first, the Feds say he has to work at the "retirement hotel" run by an evil nurse (Owen Wilson) and his nefarious sidekick (Eddie Griffin). All too soon it becomes clear that the residents of this place are in fear for their lives from the two people in charge. Can WB team with a few of them to turn the tables on those who would do them all wrong? Yes! This fun film was written by Luke Wilson, directed by Andrew Wilson and starring Owen and Luke Wilson. Its Wilson entertainment and its enjoyable. It also stars some wonderful secondary actors in Vargas, Mendes, Griffin, Harry Dean Stanton, Seymour Cassel, and Kris Kristofferson. What a pleasure this company is! The sets in Rio Grande area Texas are harshly beautiful while the costumes and other amenities are just fine, thank you. Are you up for a sequel to the Tennebaums? If you said yes, get the WB story now!

If you don't find this movie funny, or don't like the music that the Wilson brothers used...nobody is forcing you to watch it. It's that simple...but obviously not simple enough for some people. If all you do is watch a movie to cry and moan about it, then what is the point? Andrew and Luke Wilson co-directed this film, the first for Luke, who also stars in the leading role of Wendell Baker. I admit, not the entire movie is funny, but it is not supposed to be, some parts are just dramatic. On the other hand, seeing Will Ferrell being weird and punching someone IS funny.Owen Wilson also costars with Eddie Griffin as two guys who run a nursing home. Their goal, to take all the money with no fuss from the residents. This time however, with Wendell Baker on their side, the residents have a fighting chance.If you are a TRUE fan of the Frat Pack, you will like this movie. Therefore, i gave it 9 of 10. I enjoyed it.

Most people know Owen Wilson. Many people know Luke Wilson. Few people are probably familiar with Andrew Wilson. He's the hand with the BB in it in The Royal Tenenbaums. He pops up from time to time in Anderson movies and other movies with the Wilsons in them. But maybe he's a bit more camera shy and doesn't want to be an image on the screen, so for the most part he hasn't followed the same path as his brothers. Now, apparently, he's directing. Cool! This is probably the hardest type of movie to review. Simply stated, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it isn't very good. The imagery is nice. The story is pleasant, but predictable. The humor I get, but it's kind of slow and isn't really memorable. Character development feels added as an after-thought, but at least it's there. It honestly feels like O Brother Where Art Thou? meets My Name is Earl without the skill of the former or the humor of the latter. It's a very non-specific movie, which is why I feel very non-specific about it.I'd state that as an entertainment medium, it's worth a rental, but that it probably won't be on shelves for long. In the meantime, Luke and Andrew Wilson show enough skill in directing that perhaps either or both of them can go on to make some much more interesting movies in the future. For now, though, I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone in particular as it doesn't really feel like it has much personality.--PolarisDiB

I'm supposed to like "The Wendell Baker Story". From having lived in the Austin area for the last 27 years and in Austin proper for the last 11, I recognized most of the locales in the film. Plus, I went to the University of Texas at the same time the Wilson brothers did (along with Matthew McConaughey & Renee Zellweger). I will freely admit that I like brother Owen's screenplays directed by Wes Anderson ("Bottle Rocket", "Rushmore", "The Royal Tennenbaums"). And Luke Wilson--as both writer and director--attempts to emulate the Owen/Wes style in this movie. Unfortunately, his skills as a writer don't match his brother's, and as a director he seems grossly incompetent. And as lead actor, he--as always--gets by on his good looks and Texas accent rather than any discernible talent.The story is about Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson), a huckster who gets arrested for forging fake id's for illegal aliens. After he gets out of jail, he finds that his girlfriend Doreen (Eva Mendes) has dumped him and most of his friends want nothing more to do with him. While Wendell was in jail, he studied the hotel business, and that lands him a job in a retirement home run by the evil Neil King (Owen Wilson) and his henchman McTeague (Eddie Griffin). It's not much of a spoiler to say that Wendell saves the day, wins back Doreen and makes a few quirky friends along the way. But I won't give any details as to how this is accomplished.Like "Rushmore", this is very much a story about a misfit who doesn't get that he's a misfit. Also, like Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, the film is peppered with really great--if somewhat obscure--songs from a bygone era. But whereas Owen and Wes opt for British pop music from the 1960's, Luke prefers Texas Outlaw country music from the 1970's. He even casts Kris Kristofferson in a key role and Billy Joe Shaver in a small role. Between the two of them, they wrote nearly half the country hits between 1969 and 1980.Also unlike Owen Wilson, whose characters are funny, quirky and sad, Wilson's characters are merely quirky. And unlike Wes Anderson, Luke doesn't know how to properly set up a shot or light an indoor set. Most of the indoor scenes are dramatically under-lit. Often, the sun coming through a window will render a character's arm or stomach visible, but the head will be shrouded in darkness. This would work well if this were a film noir, but given that this is supposed to be a feel-good comedy, I have to assume this was not intentional. It is a real problem in the scenes that Owen and Luke have together, since the only physical difference between the two is their hair color.I also need to say that the acting--except for the notable exception of Will Ferrell making the most of a small part--is mediocre at best. Luke Wilson has always been one of the blandest actors in Hollywood. Owen is a talented actor, but not here. Eddie Griffin is truly awful. Although Eva Mendes is pretty to look at, she's not much of an actress. And it's really saying something when I mention that Luke can't wring a good performance out of Harry Dean Stanton or Seymour Cassel.There are things that I liked about this movie. I have already mentioned the soundtrack and Will Ferrell's performance. I also give Wilson props for filming in North Central Austin (where I once lived and still frequent) instead of the usual haunts of UT, downtown and South Austin (seen in "Slacker", "The Life of David Gale" and "Grindhouse") where I rarely have any reason for going.Overall, I would have to say this movie was done by an enthusiastic but talentless amateur trying too hard to step out of his more-talented brother's shadow. But for Will Ferrell, I would have given this 5 out of 10. But Ferrell is so good, I will give it an extra star.