The Wendell Baker Story

There’s no lack of talent or of selling points in this indie farce from Luke Wilson and his brothers Owen and Andrew, but the thing still misfires more often than not. The title character, played by Luke (who also wrote the screenplay and co-directed with Andrew), is a galumphy Texas scam artist who transforms into a saintly sort of romantic after a stint in prison and the loss of his inexplicably devoted girlfriend (Eva Mendes). Rambunctious senior citizens played by Seymour Cassel, Harry Dean Stanton and Kris Kristoffersen add some flavor to Wilson’s picaresque brand of romantic comedy, and Owen Wilson and Will Farrell are on hand as exuberantly neurotic comic villains. More comedy sketch than fully realized feature film, this grab-bag of silliness amuses in ways that are not always genuinely entertaining.