Movie news on your iPhone today!
Advertisement
Sign in
Username   Password         Forgot password?
Wanna join? Sign up
Find movies you'll love
The Wendell Baker Story
  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rate this movie.

Watch trailer Watch trailer

Rent it, watch it, find it

Advertisement
Owen, Luke, and Andrew Wilson combine their fraternal filmmaking talents to tell the character-driven tale of a small-time con man who gets a fortuitous shot at redemption while working in a run down retirement community. Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) is a con man whose large heart betrays his criminal mind. Confident to a fault and consistently cool-headed, Baker is the kind of grifter who's always quick with a comeback and never lets the law get in the way of making a quick buck. When Wendell is busted for selling counterfeit Texas driver's licenses to undocumented Mexican migrant workers, he coasts through his prison sentence with the same unflappable attitude that made him the perfect swindler in the outside world. In order to pass the time behind bars without causing waves, mellow convict Wendell buries his nose in books about hotel management checked out from the prison library. Upon release the optimistic ex-con is distraught to discover his girlfriend Dorren (Eva Mendes) has taken up with a quick-tempered grocer (Will Ferrell) and his former partner Reyes (Jacob Vargas) has been forced into retirement by his law-abiding wife. Looking to put his hotel management know-how to good use and determined to win Doreen back, Wendell soon takes a job at the Shady Grove retirement hotel. Little does Wendell realize that scheming Shady Grove head nurse Neil King (Owen Wilson) has been dabbling in fraudulent Medicare payments and forced labor, and has no qualms about pinning his crimes on the carefree ex-convict. Now, if benevolent knave Wendell has any hope of turning the tables on his unscrupulous nemesis and proving that nice guys don't always finish last, he'll have to enlist the aid of fed-up Shady Grove residents Boyd (Seymour Cassel), Skip (Harry Dean Stanton), and Nasher (Kris Kristofferson), who are all more than willing to strike back at their casually cruel caretaker. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
[More]
 
TenenbaumsTenenbaums The Shyamalan Report Card
by Tenenbaums in Tenenbaums Blog
lost interest.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"M. Night Shyamalan's career is coming to a halt. But before the film community sends the Philadelphia writer/directer off, let's take a look at his works."The Sixth Sense" is masterful; "Unbreakable" is an underrated comic book gem; "[More]
TenenbaumsTenenbaums Shaky Hand Luke
by Tenenbaums in Tenenbaums Blog
lost interest.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"A few years ago on the talk show circuit, Luke Wilson liked to note that he had contributed one of the most memorable lines in Rushmore. Already cast as Dr. Peter Flynn, Luke was reading over the script written by Wes Anderson and brother Owen when he got to the restaurant scene after the conclusion of Max Fischer's "Serpico." Luke's character comes to the dinner in O.R. sc " [More]
Amc35JRAmc35JR The Wendell Baker Story
by Amc35JR in Amc35JR Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Great movie! If you like most of the Wilson brother's movies, you'll definitely like this one. Luke Wilson is a likeable sleazeball. The kind of person you know you shouldn't like but do. The sort of character Vince Vaughn usually plays.The movie manages to shift back and forth between comedy and sentimental drama and back to comedy with ease. This is not easy to do. The only criticism I have is that Eddie Griffin's talents seem to ha " [More]
 

Community ratings

mavens
Spout mavens
lost interest.
most people
Most people
lost interest.

Other opinions

justinm
justinm
loved it.
Amc35JR
Amc35JR
loved it.
schism_3
schism_3
liked it.
wonga
wonga
lost interest.
okiedharma
okiedharma
is not interested.
gbow22
gbow22
is not interested.