A normal view of a Normal movie (CREDIT: Magnolia Pictures)
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Reena Jolly, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod
Director: Ben Wheatley
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: R for Stunningly Strong, Cartoony Violence
Release Date: April 17, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: After his last lawman job left him irrevocably haunted, Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) accepts what he expects to be a pretty uneventful gig as the interim sheriff in the small, seemingly unassuming town of Normal, Minnesota. He quickly develops a rapport with his deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) and has a few civil interactions with the mayor, who must be a decent guy since he’s played by Henry Winkler, after all. Plus, he also has some other encounters with the rest of the townsfolk that promise to serve as foreshadowing. During one of his first days on the job, there’s an attempted bank robbery, which quickly develops into a chaotic shootout where it’s not clear who’s on whose side. That’s because Normal isn’t so normal after all, and this threatens to be the moment when every dark secret is revealed.
What Made an Impression?: An Era Continues: Will Bob Odenkirk ever star in a straight-up comedy again, or is he now just a dramatic TV star with plenty of personality and an unlikely action movie hero who gets to occasionally be funny? That’s probably too far-reaching a question for one review to handle, so I’ll let the universe sort it out. In the meantime, though, I’ll note that Normal doesn’t require him to be quite as no-holds-barred as the Nobody films, and it’s all the better for it, with the emphasis on Ulysses’ resourcefulness instead of his knuckles. There’s still plenty of room for fireworks in the vein of one of director Ben Wheatley’s previous action efforts, but it’s all centered around a decent guy trying to compromise something livable out of an impossibly lethal situation.
Domo Arigato: Without giving away too much about Normal’s secrets, I think it’s okay to tease that the first scene takes place in Japan in a way that will make you question whether or not you walked into the right theater. I for one quite enjoy it when a movie begins by confusing me … in a fun way! Especially when it’s accompanied by a foreign language rendition of a classic Black Sabbath banger.
It’s Not These Guys, It’s Those Guys: If you’ve been a devoted viewer of acclaimed TV for the last 10-20 years, chances are high that Normal will have you going, “Hey! Isn’t that that guy… actually, I guess not.” That’s because there’s one actor in this movie who looks quite a bit like Deadwood and Raising Hope star Garret Dillahunt, and another who is almost-certainly-but-not-exactly Veep and Detroiters funnyman Sam Richardson. Doppelgangers deserve work too, after all.
Normal is Recommended If You Like: A maximum amount of discordance between the conversations and the explosions
Grade: 3 out of 5 Bank Vaults
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