Accidental Texan

Last updated

Accidental Texan
Accidental Texan poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Lambert Bristol
Screenplay byJulie B. Denny
Based onChocolate Lizards
by Cole Thompson
Produced by
  • Julie B. Denny
  • Melissa Kirkendall
  • Koen Wooten
  • Mark Bristol
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Wise
Edited byJames K. Crouch
Music by
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release dates
  • April 29, 2023 (2023-04-29)(Dallas)
  • March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$292,687 [1] [2]

Accidental Texan (formerly titled Chocolate Lizards) is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Lambert Bristol, and starring Thomas Haden Church, Rudy Pankow, Carrie-Anne Moss and Bruce Dern. It is based on the 1999 novel Chocolate Lizards by Cole Thompson. [3] [4]

Contents

The film was released in the United States by Roadside Attractions on 8 March 2024.

Premise

When Harvard grad Erwin gets kicked off the set of his first acting gig for leaving his phone on, he flees in his car only to break down deep in Texas oil country. Lacking funds to repair his car, he accepts local driller Merle's offer to work on his site. He then discovers the project is failing and Merle begs him to help by acting as an oil expert leading the project. [5]

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in Austin, Texas on October 13, 2021, [7] and also took place that month in Bartlett, Texas. [8]

Release

The film premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival on April 29, 2023. [9] [10]

In January 2024, it was announced that Roadside Attractions acquired North American distribution rights to the film.

Accidental Texan was released theatrically on March 8, 2024. [11] [1]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 55% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. [12] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [13]

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote: "The next time you hear someone complain that they sure don't make them like they used to, point them in the direction of Accidental Texan, an unapologetically old-fashioned feel-good dramedy that, with a few minor tweaks, could pass as a newly rediscovered family-friendly feature from the mid-1970s". [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie-Anne Moss</span> Canadian actress (born 1967)

Carrie-Anne Moss is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in The Matrix series (1999–present). She has starred in Memento (2000), for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Red Planet (2000), Chocolat (2000), Fido (2006), Snow Cake (2006), for which she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Disturbia (2007), Unthinkable (2010), Silent Hill: Revelation (2012), and Pompeii (2014). She also portrayed Jeri Hogarth in several television series produced by Marvel Television for Netflix, most notably Jessica Jones (2015–2019).

<i>Dr. T & the Women</i> 2000 American film

Dr. T & The Women is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Altman, featuring an ensemble cast including Richard Gere as wealthy gynecologist Dr. Sullivan Travis and Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Tara Reid, Kate Hudson, and Liv Tyler as the various women that he encounters in his everyday life. The movie was primarily filmed in Dallas, Texas, and was released in US theaters on October 13, 2000. The film's music was composed by American composer and alternative country singer Lyle Lovett, who released an album of his score in September 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Haden Church</span> American actor

Thomas Haden Church is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings and playing the lead for two seasons in Ned & Stacey (1995–1997), Church became known for his film work, including his role of Lyle van de Groot in George of the Jungle (1997), his Academy Award–nominated performance in Sideways (2004), his role as the Marvel Comics villain Sandman in the superhero films Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), as well as his starring roles in Over the Hedge (2006), Smart People (2008), Easy A (2010), We Bought a Zoo (2011), Max (2015), and Hellboy (2019). He also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas (2003). In 2023, he starred as antagonist Agent Stone in the post-apocalyptic action comedy series Twisted Metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV Entertainment Studios</span> Film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group

MTV Entertainment Studios is the film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Founded in 1991 as MTV Productions, it is a consolidation of the former MTV Films group established in 1996 and the MTV Production Development/MTV Studios group of 2003–2021. It has produced original television shows like Beavis and Butt-Head, Æon Flux, Jackass, My Super Sweet 16, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, Clone High, and The Real World, and films such as Election, Joe's Apartment and Napoleon Dynamite. Its films are released by fellow Paramount Global division Paramount Pictures. Many of MTV Entertainment Studios productions are all aimed at adolescence and adult audiences.

<i>Chocolat</i> (2000 film) 2000 British-American romance film directed by Lasse Hallström

Chocolat is a 2000 romance film, based on the 1999 novel Chocolat by the English author Joanne Harris, directed by Lasse Hallström. Adapted by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat tells the story of Vianne Rocher, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives in the fictional French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes at the beginning of Lent with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. She opens a small chocolaterie. Soon, she and her chocolate influence the lives of the townspeople of this repressed French community in different and interesting ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in Texas, United States

The Diocese of Dallas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in North Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadside Attractions</span> Film production company

Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, specializing largely in independent films. Lionsgate bought a portion of Roadside in 2007.

<i>Unthinkable</i> 2010 American film

Unthinkable is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Gregor Jordan and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Sheen and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released direct-to-video on June 14, 2010. The film focuses on the sanctioned torture of a man who has threatened to detonate three nuclear bombs, planted in three large U.S. cities.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

<i>The Peanut Butter Falcon</i> 2019 comedy-drama film directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a 2019 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, in their directorial film debut, and starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and John Hawkes. The plot follows a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from an assisted living facility and befriends a wayward fisherman on the run. As the two men form a rapid bond, a social worker attempts to track them. Filming took place in North Carolina and Georgia.

<i>Crash Pad</i> 2017 American film

Crash Pad is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Kevin Tent, from a screenplay by Jeremy Catalino. It stars Domhnall Gleeson, Christina Applegate, Thomas Haden Church and Nina Dobrev.

<i>The Warrior Queen of Jhansi</i> 2019 British period drama film

The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is a 2019 British period drama film on the 1857 Indian Rebellion against the British East India Company. The film was co-written, produced and directed by Swati Bhise, with Charles Salmon as co-producer. The film was originally titled Swords and Sceptres: The Rani of Jhansi. Devika Bhise, who also co-wrote the script, plays the lead role of Rani Lakshmibai. In November 2017, Rupert Everett and Derek Jacobi joined the cast. Principal photography was completed in December 2017.

<i>Trial by Fire</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Trial by Fire is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Edward Zwick. The story is based upon David Grann's article "Trial by Fire" that appeared in The New Yorker in 2009 about case Willingham v. State of Texas. The film stars Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Jeff Perry and Jade Pettyjohn.

Outer Banks is an American action-adventure mystery teen drama television series created by Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke that premiered on Netflix on April 15, 2020. The series is set in a community in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in search of a lost treasure.

The Acolyte, also known as Star Wars: The Acolyte, is an American science fiction television series created by Leslye Headland for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga, and follows a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes.

<i>Call Jane</i> 2022 American film

Call Jane is a 2022 American drama film starring Elizabeth Banks as a suburban housewife in the 1960s who deals with a life-threatening pregnancy and subsequently joins the Jane Collective, an underground network of abortion activists. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smith, Grace Edwards, and John Magaro. It is directed by Phyllis Nagy. The screenplay was written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi.

<i>FUBAR</i> (TV series) American action-comedy television series

FUBAR is an American action comedy television series created by Nick Santora for Netflix. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role in a scripted live-action television series and is produced by Skydance Television and Blackjack Films. The series premiered on May 25, 2023. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

<i>Boy Kills World</i> 2023 film by Moritz Mohr

Boy Kills World is a 2023 dystopian action comedy film directed by Moritz Mohr, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, based on a story by Arend Remmers and Moritz Mohr. The film stars Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Yayan Ruhian, Andrew Koji, Sharlto Copley, Famke Janssen and features the voice of H. Jon Benjamin. The plot revolves around a campaign of vengeance enacted by a martial arts expert, rendered deaf-mute by an attack that killed his entire family, whose thoughts are presented as an inner voice derived from a childhood video game.

<i>Firebrand</i> (2023 film) Film by Karim Aïnouz

Firebrand is a 2023 British historical drama film directed by Karim Aïnouz and written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth, based on the 2013 novel Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle. The film focuses on Katherine Parr, Queen of England and the wife and widow of Henry VIII. It stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, and Eddie Marsan. The film marks Aïnouz's first directorial effort in the English language.

His Three Daughters is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne as three estranged sisters who come back together to care for their aging father.

References

  1. 1 2 "Accidental Texan". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  2. "Accidental Texan". The Numbers . Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  3. Grobar, Matt (October 27, 2021). "'Chocolate Lizards': Rudy Pankow Joins Carrie-Anne Moss, Thomas Haden Church, Bruce Dern & More In Indie Dramedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  4. Kay, Jeremy (February 27, 2023). "Taylor & Dodge boards sales on 'Chocolate Lizards' starring Thomas Haden Church, Rudy Pankow, Carrie-Anne Moss (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  5. "Roadside Attractions Buys Thomas Haden Church, Rudy Pankow Comedy 'Accidental Texan' (EXCLUSIVE)". February 18, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Watts, Elena Anita (November 11, 2021). "Movie role in Bluebonnet Youth Ranch auction goes to Karnes City resident". The Victoria Advocate. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Production Begins in Austin, Texas on Chocolate Lizards". Cision. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  8. Jaklewicz, Greg (October 23, 2021). "Twenty years in the making: Abilenian's novel 'Chocolate Lizards' finally becoming a movie". Abilene News-Reporter. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. Cummings, Tommy (April 11, 2013). "Premieres dot Dallas International Film Festival's schedule". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  10. Gray, Kevin (April 11, 2023). "5 Things to Know About the 2023 Dallas International Film Festival". Thrillist. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  11. Lang, Brent (January 24, 2024). "Roadside Attractions Buys Thomas Haden Church, Rudy Pankow Comedy Accidental Texan (Exclusive)". Variety . Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  12. "Accidental Texan". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  13. "Accidental Texan". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  14. Leydon, Joe (March 8, 2024). "Accidental Texan Review: Amiably Old-Fashioned Dramedy Showcases Appealing Performance by Thomas Haden Church". Variety . Retrieved March 8, 2024.