Summer Film Festival - “Normal”
- Matt Palmer
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
For Sheriff Ulysses, his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town is anything but its namesake.
This film delivers some over the top action shootouts, some very dry dark humor, and a quirky “Fargo”-esque setting of a seemingly quiet Midwestern town hiding wild secrets.
Following his turn in the surprise action hit “Nobody” and its sort of entertaining sequel, it is good to see Odenkirk put his signature stamp on the low-key, reluctant action hero. Playing a weary, interim sheriff just trying to keep his head down in a tiny Minnesota town - his deadpan charm grounds the absurdity around him and his performance is one of the highlights that helps keep the film going.
While it does take a little bit for the chaos to start, the first half of “Normal” excels at building slow-burn tension, quirky character interactions, and a compelling, eccentric atmosphere. I actually enjoyed how the film takes its time establishing the setting and us getting to know the characters (including a few of the officers who are a bit on the off side) and you can easily piece together that something is wrong.
Once “Normal” gets into the action, it really delivers! The action-comedy/mystery delivers unapologetically, over the top brutal, and exaggerated sequences. The film easily strikes a chord by balancing its intense, military-grade violence (including some intense shootouts with explosions) with shocking humor and some self-aware audacity. I won’t spoil anything about the second half of the film, but if you love absurd action, you won’t be disappointed!
Even before the shooting begins, you notice that a few things are a little off, such as a sweet elderly lady casually listening to a police scanner in her knitting shop, a hardware store owner with a huge, multi-lock deadbolt cabinet (later Ulysses finds a lot of good stuff in there) and a police station arsenal casually stocked with more C4 than a small
town police station should have and many, many other weapons.
While Odenkirk does a great job keeping the viewer entertained - like he usually does - it’s actually the Fonz (a.k.a. Henry Winkler) who really steals the show as the Minnesota town’s mayor. I really don’t want to get into a lot of details about his character, but once you see his scenes, you can absolutely see how Winkler can still steal the show!
The 2026 film “Normal” has received a generally favorable but tonally divided overall response from critics and audiences. While reviewers and most audiences praised its high energy action and entertainment value, many noted that the narrative felt thin and logic-defying. Now, even though the film’s overall story can feel thin at times, it’s still a fun watch and is one of those films where you can just simply relax for an hour and a half, turn off your mind and enjoy the chaotic action-packed fun and mystery!
Cast: Bob Odenkirk (Ulysses Richardson); Ryan Allen (Deputy Blaine Anderson); Billy MacLellan (Deputy Mike Nelson); Lena Headey (Moira); Henry Winkler (Mayor Kibner); Renna Jolly (Lori); Brendan Fletcher (Keith); Lauren Cochran (Sally); Jess McLeod (Alex)
Writer/director: Derek Kolstad (writer) (Nobody; Nobody 2; John Wick 1-4); Ben Wheatley (director) (Meg 2: The Trench)
MPA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language (runtime 91 minutes)
I will have one more review for the Summer Film Festival in next week’s slate. I initially planned to have two film festival reviews this week but due to some time constraints I couldn’t really get to the second film festival selection that I planned on seeing! But, just like the previous film festivals, I will catch up on some of the other film festival selections when they are available on streaming/SVOD.
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