''The Wendell Baker Story'' is a 2005 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Luke Wilson and Andrew Wilson and starring Luke Wilson,

Eva Mendes Eva de la Caridad Méndez (, ; born March 5, 1974), known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American actress, model and fashion designer. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as '' Children of the Cor ...

Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and '' The Royal ...

Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom '' Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film '' Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jef ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...

Seymour Cassel Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...

, and

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

. It premiered at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, in March 2005. It is the final film produced by

Franchise Pictures Franchise Pictures LLC was an independent motion picture production and distribution company, founded by Elie Samaha, Ashok Amritraj, and Andrew Stevens. They were known for their production in the action film genre. The company also had a short- ...

. Ex-con Wendell Baker is working in a retirement home, trying to win his former love-interest Doreen back, but he finds many obstacles along the way.

Plot

Wendell Baker, a good-hearted but misdirected young man, has built up a successful albeit illegal fake-ID business for undocumented immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border. Caught by an undercover police officer, he is sent to jail. At first, his girlfriend Doreen visits regularly, but as he'd never expressed his feelings to her, she doubts that he loves her back. After a visit, one that he cuts short to return playing a match, seeing him too well-adjusted in jail, she decides to move on. He realises when she stops visiting and returns his letters. Wendell's friend and former partner in making the IDs, Reyes, picks him up when released, but after dinner he tells him his partner won't let him stay friends with him anymore. The next day, before Wendall's arrival at his appointed job in a retirement home Neil, the home's head

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

, talks about how easily he'll be able to use the unknowing newcomer as a scapegoat. In a local supermarket buying supplies for the home, Wendell spots a photo of Doreen with the clerk, so he hangs around until she comes in. The clerk, Dave, catches him watching her, punches and then threatens him to keep his distance. As Wendell is leaving Doreen catches up with him, insists she has moved on and suggests he does the same. Back at the home, Neil reiterates to the orderly that Wendell would be ideal to frame if necessary as he's clueless. Wendell, in the meantime, becomes close to some of the residents as they see he is sincere and caring. One evening, Neil takes Wendall aside and tells him about a scam he runs on the residents. Little by little, he ships off residents to somewhere in Oklahoma, illegally selling their medications and taking a part of their medicare checks. Neil tries to blackmail him into silence. Instead, the next day Wendell wakes with a new sense of purpose. He visits Reyes, saying they will soon be back in business. He then returns to the home, enlisting three residents, Skip, Boyd and Nash, to get those who'd disappeared to Oklahoma back. Nash flies them there and back and decides to stay on the road. Wendell helps the remaining residents to fight the corrupt staff by getting them in trouble. Skip and Boyd get two teenage girls they had befriended to help get Neil and his right-hand-man arrested for attempted statutory rape. A short time later two representatives of Nash, who turns out to be a reclusive oil tycoon, come seeking Wendell as he wants him to manage several of his luxury hotels. One day Skip coaxes Wendall down to the waterfront, where Boyd is bringing Doreen to him by boat. He races to her with their dog and enfolds her in an embrace.

Cast

* Luke Wilson as Wendell Baker *

as Doreen *

Jacob Vargas Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor and performer. Early life Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family. He attended high sc ...

as Reyes Morales *

as Neil King *

as Skip Summers *

as L. R. Nasher *

as Boyd Fullbright *

as McTeague *

as Dave Bix * Mac Davis as Agent Buck

Production notes

The film was developed through Mobius Entertainment and produced by Mark Johnson of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. It was filmed in Austin, Texas and was released on DVD for rental in a number of European countries, and was distributed theatrically by ThinkFilm starting on May 18, 2007. It was released on DVD in the United States on October 30, 2007.

References

External links

* *
IndieWire.com
* 2005 films Films shot in Austin, Texas 2005 comedy films American comedy films Films scored by Aaron Zigman Franchise Pictures films 2005 directorial debut films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production notes

See also

References

External links