May Bob Odenkirk Always Enjoy as Much Fun as He’s Having in Normal

(SeaPRwire) –   A new sheriff who seems sincere comes to a small, seemingly friendly Midwestern town—only to find a web of lies hidden beneath the locals’ welcoming exterior. This story’s been told many times before, but that doesn’t stop Bob Odenkirk, the lead of the gritty action-comedy Normal, from having a blast with it.

Odenkirk plays Ulysses Richardson, who steps into the role of interim sheriff in Normal, Minnesota—a cozy town with a population of 1,890—until a permanent replacement can be voted in. The previous sheriff passed away under slightly suspicious conditions, but Ulysses isn’t too worried about that; he’s wrapped up in his failed marriage and took the job just to shake things up and find his footing. At first, the irritations are par for the course: His deputy Mike (Billy MacLellan) is a nuisance, thanks to a new leather jacket that won’t stop squeaking. There are scuffles at the hardware store, and a moaning moose hangs around the motel where Ulysses is staying. The mayor (Henry Winkler) is the usual backslapping type, but there’s also a hint of shadiness about him.

Even so, there are perks to the job—like a playful yet sharp local bartender (Lena Headey) who might be interested in Ulysses. But romance is the last thing on his mind: When two bumbling crooks (Reena Jolly and Brendan Fletcher) roll into town to pull off a heist, he finds out the bank vault they’re targeting is full of…

Let’s set that aside for a moment. The enjoyment of Normal—helmed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Rebecca) and penned by Derek Kolstad (known for the John Wick films)—comes from going in without high hopes and knowing the movie is unapologetically derivative. The similarities to the Coen brothers’ Fargo and its follow-up TV series are no accident: The sheriff Ulysses is replacing is named Gunderson, an obvious tribute to Frances McDormand’s Fargo character.

But odds are you’re not turning to Normal for something new. If you want plenty of over-the-top, bone-shattering violence, this is the film for you. Odenkirk—who co-developed the story with Kolstad—was once best known for his parts in Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Way before that, he and David Cross co-created and starred in the sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David; even earlier, Odenkirk wrote for Saturday Night Live. More recently, he’s rebranded himself as an action hero in the 2021 film Nobody and its 2025 sequel Nobody 2. And in Steven Spielberg’s The Post, he delivered a standout dramatic turn as Ben Bagdikian, the Washington Post reporter who met Daniel Ellsberg in 1971 to obtain the Pentagon Papers and then pushed for their release. (In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Odenkirk’s Bagdikian makes a series of secretive calls from a row of payphones, anxiously dropping coins into slots and dialing numbers he only half remembers—getting the job done quietly, just like a legendary journalist would.)

Is there anything Odenkirk can’t pull off? His relaxed, unpretentious vibe is one of his biggest strengths, and he uses it well in Normal—when he’s not stabbing bad guys in the eye with a sharp object or crushing their skulls under truck tires, that is. Normal might not break new ground, but it has a mischievous streak and great B-movie charm. The film’s highlight is a wild bloodbath set in a classic small-town diner: Its wood-paneled walls are covered with taxidermied animal heads and loaded guns, and there’s a jukebox full of real 45 rpm records. This scene—an orchestration of sudden screams and gushing blood vessels—is set to Dr. Hook’s 1979 pop ballad “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” a delightfully silly song you might not have heard in ages, if at all. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that song in any movie, let alone a violent action flick. Using it might be Normal’s most original touch, and we’re here for it. Don’t ever discount the impact of a jukebox surprise.