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It was a packed week for new releases in theaters, on streaming, and on VOD. Below are my thoughts on the new releases for the weekend. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Accidental Texan (Limited, VOD)
Starring: Rudy Pankow, Carrie-Anne Moss, Thomas Haden Church, and Bruce Dern
Synopsis: Sometimes all you need is for someone to believe in you and give you a second chance. What you do with that opportunity can help define your life. That’s the moral at the heart of The Accidental Texan, a new film that opens in limited release and on VOD this Friday. The film centers on Erwin (Pankow), a young actor who travels from Hollywood to New Orleans for his big break. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t go his way. After a disastrous first day, he’s fired. On the journey home, his car breaks down just outside a small Texas town. Erwin is spinning out. But in that crisis comes an opportunity. He stumbles into a diner and there meets Merle (Church), a driller who has hit his own rough patch. Merle has a month to save his business and needs a big break to get there. He’s also dealing with his own past tragedy that weighs on his heart. Together, Merle and Erwin find a kindred spirit in each other and soon are able to merge their skills to find a new way forward. It might also be the key to healing the pain and loss of the past for both of them as they create a better future. This film is based on the novel Chocolate Lizards from Cole Thompson with a script from Julie B. Denny. It’s a simple story and it’s not hard to guess where the plot is going, but it’s the depth of characters—the relationship between Merle and Erwin—that really keeps you grounded and engaged. That’s also a credit to Pankow and Church, who play well off each other. They seem to be having fun and by extension it’s fun for the audience. I also enjoyed the rest of the cast, which includes Moss and Dern, among others. There are some fun sequences, but it’s mixed with a plucky story that has plenty of heart. Director Mark Lambert Bristol—working on his first feature film since 1999—does a nice job bringing this story to life. I enjoyed the way it was shot and the way he pulls the performances together to create a story that’s a fun journey.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong language and brief violence.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

American Dreamer (VOD)
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon, and Danny Glover
Synopsis: All Phil Loder (Dinklage) wanted was to own his own home. His life wasn’t going as he’d hoped. He didn’t have much success in his career or his personal life. He didn’t have a great parking spot or a great car. But he wanted a little place to call his own, where he could write his novel. When he came across an ad from Astrid (MacLaine), it seemed like an offer too good to be true. With the help of his agent (Dillon), he took her up on the deal. What Phil found was his dream—his true dream—was something more than he’d imagined. The new film, American Dreamer, draws inspiration from a true story featured on This American Life. In the film, writer Theodore Melfi sets Phil in the middle of something of a crisis. It’s an engaging, sometimes funny journey through him achieving his goal only to realize it’s both more and less than he’d imagined. Once Phil sells all his possession to raise the funds for a unique home purchase, he finds that there might be other claims on Astrid’s holdings. He hires a private investigator (Glover) to sort things out, but mostly takes it as a sign that this—like the rest of his life so far—isn’t meant to work out as he’d hoped. I loved Dinklage as a performer. He’s so great in a certain type of role, the sort of sad clown. He brings that grace and energy to this role. His scenes opposite MacLaine are sweet, but I particularly enjoyed his back-and-forth with Dillon and Glover. There are moments of pure comedy that delight here. There’s also some emotional catharsis for Phil in the third act that resonated for me. But the film, from director Paul Dektor, is somewhat uneven. That is probably a result of the story, which sometimes zigs when it ought to zag. American Dreamer has its moments. I appreciated the cast and really appreciated the work of Dinklage. It’s an entertaining film, if nothing else. It doesn’t quite achieve some of its lofty goals but it’s a fun enough journey to get there.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Damsel (Netflix)
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, and Nick Robinson
Synopsis: Despite its title, this isn’t a story of a young woman in need of rescue. Instead, it’s the story of a plucky hero who manages to save herself. Elodie (Brown) is the eldest daughter of Lord Bayford (Winstone). A marriage proposal from Prince Henry (Robinson) offers Elodie’s family and her kingdom a way out. It provides enough funds to keep them from starving during the winter. But it turns out this proposal comes with some series strings as Henry’s mother, Queen Isabelle (Wright) needs a young princess to help save her own kingdom from its dark past. Brown is a good, young star. She gives her all here, but the film built around her isn’t worthy of those efforts. There’s some nice visual flourishes and some interesting action sequences, but the story is by-the-numbers and predictable. In addition, the characters lack depth and definition. Even Elodie isn’t well fleshed out. I enjoyed Brown and there are some fun moments here but it’s not a great film.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong creature violence, action, and bloody images.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Kung Fu Panda 4 (Theaters)
Starring: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, and Dustin Hoffman
Synopsis: You have to respect a franchise that can produce four films over the course of 16 years. The Kung Fu Panda franchise has done just that, with a new adventure released for audiences in theaters today. In the latest installment of the Jack Black-led franchise, change is brewing. Po (Black) is the Dragon Warrior, and he’s got the staff of wisdom. He’s content to kick butt and use his celebrity to help his fathers—Ping (Hong) and Li (Cranston) with their business. But master Shifu (Hoffman) knows it’s time for Po to break free of his comfort zone. While he’s the dragon warrior now, his destiny is to move to the next level and become the great Spiritual Leader, training another to take his place. Po auditions candidates but he can’t find one that feels right. In the meantime, he learns of a new threat to the realm.  With the Furious Five away on other business, Po decides to meet this challenge. To aid his search, he enlists a crafty fox, Zhen (Awkwafina), who knows where this new shape-shifting villain (Davis) resides. But is Po strong enough to overcome a villain who wants to use sorcery to become the greatest warrior of all time? As noted, it’s impressive when a franchise has popularity and staying power. No matter what, that’s true of this franchise, which began in 2008. It remains popular with younger viewers through its fourth installment. I screened the film in a theater full of younger viewers, many of whom laughed and cheered throughout the 90-minute film. Black does a nice job in the lead role, and this has a strong voice cast. The addition of Awkwafina was fun, while Davis was solid as the villain. I’ve also always enjoyed Hoffman’s master Shifu. These are brightly colored films with an easy-to-follow story and some humor. They are enjoyable enough while you’re watching them, but they don’t stick with me beyond that. This latest installment is similar. The story is good enough, the characters and the look are fun, but my interest in it largely ends at the credits. So far, we haven’t gotten a lot of family-friendly fare in theaters in 2024. It’s nice to have a good, animated option for younger viewers, many of whom will be delighted that Po is back in action. For the rest, this is a fine watch but little more than that.
Rating: Rated PG for martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Ricky Stanicky (Prime Video)
Starring: John Cena, Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, Jermaine Fowler, and William H. Macy
Synopsis: Pals Dean (Efron), JT (Santino), and Wes (Fowler) have been friends for a long time. They’ve also been making trouble for a long time. But they’ve always had an out—Ricky Stanicky. He’s the friend they created when they were first in a jam as boys. Now, 20 years later, he’s their excuse for everything that goes wrong, and every time they want to get away. But when their families become suspicious, it’s time to produce Ricky or admit to the lie. So, they hire a down-on-his-luck actor, Rod (Cena), to play the part. It gets their families off their back—at first. But it also puts them in more jeopardy when Rod isn’t ready to give up the role of a lifetime. This is a basic comedic set up with a solid cast. It’s also a wild story. If you watch the credits, you’ll see six writers—including director Peter Farrelly—credited with this screenplay. In addition, there are two more writers credited with the original story. That’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and you feel it throughout this production. At times, the film feels all over the place. There are some amusing moments, but the story is fairly predictable and none of the characters have much depth. Despite the talented cast, it is more fizzle than sizzle. I chuckled a few times, but at nearly two hours it also feels too long. I liked the potential in the idea, but this doesn’t all come together.
Rating: Rated R for sexual material, language throughout and some drug content.
Verdict: Two stars out of five