My Name is Bruce
Encyclopedia
My Name Is Bruce is a 2007 American comedy horror
film
, directed, co-produced by and starring B movie
cult actor Bruce Campbell
. The film was written by Mark Verheiden
. It had a theatrical release in October 2008, followed by DVD
and Blu-ray releases on February 10, 2009.
Although Sam Raimi
, with whom Bruce frequently collaborates, is not involved with this production, much of the film is in the vein of the Evil Dead series. Ted Raimi
(Sam's brother), also a frequent collaborator, appears in this film.
Campbell has shown several minutes of the movie during some of his campus lectures, as well as a few public screenings including showings at the sixth annual Ashland Independent Film Festival
, CineVegas
and the eleventh annual East Lansing Film Festival
. A trailer was released for the film as well and is available on various websites. A screening was held at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Tickets for the show sold out in less than two minutes, breaking the previous Alamo ticket sellout record, which was also set by a Bruce Campbell appearance at the theater in 1998.
Meanwhile, famed B movie
actor Bruce Campbell
is finishing filming for the fictional Cave Alien II, and is promised a birthday surprise from his agent, Mills Toddner (Ted Raimi
). Bruce meets Jeff, who kidnaps Campbell and takes him to Goldlick in hopes that his hero can save the town from Guan-Di. Upon arrival, Bruce assumes it's his birthday surprise from Mills, and thinks it's all a movie, despite a lack of cameras and a script, and agrees to "help". He learns about Guan-Di in the town's hall and during a dinner party, Bruce gets on the good side of Jeff's mother, Kelly (Grace Thorsen), who had initially been irritated by Bruce's behaviour.
After gearing up at Goldlick's gun shop, Bruce and many citizens of Goldlick go out into the woods to take on Guan-Di, which Bruce still thinks is part of a movie. Bruce then finds out that it's all real and flees Goldlick, angering the townspeople, disappointing Kelly and upsetting Jeff. As part of a running gag
, an Italian painter (also played by Ted Raimi
) constantly repaints the population sign every time someone dies, including himself. Bruce returns to his caravan to find that everyone, including his own dog, hates him a lot. He has a restraining order
placed upon him by his ex-wife, Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss
), and finds that his "surprise birthday present" from Mills was just a prostitute named Kasey (Janelle Farber). Bruce is then called by Jeff, who informs him that he's going to take on Guan-Di alone in spite of Bruce's retreat.
Kasey takes Bruce back to Goldlick, where he is treated with contempt and tries to reconcile with Kelly. To rescue Jeff, they both drive to the old cemetery, in which they set up dynamite at the mausoleum and try to lure Guan-Di inside with one of Jeff's cardboard cut-outs of Bruce, which Guan-Di doesn't fall for. After kissing Kelly, Bruce decides to sacrifice himself (with bean curd playing a significant role in luring Guan-Di) and the dynamite is blown up. He emerges from the debris alive, and hangs the medallion back onto the mausoleum wall to ease the spirit. Guan-Di then also comes back to life, and at the very last minute, it turns out the whole scenario was a movie. Bruce argues with Ted Raimi about the cliched ending and turns it into a happy ending, which involves Bruce and Kelly married, living in a nice house with their son, Jeff, who is accepted into Harvard University
. After the movie ends, Bruce asks "What could be a better ending than that?", after which Guan-Di appears and kills Bruce.
' Mike Richardson commented on this:
For the week of December 9, 2008, My Name is Bruce took in $17,214 on a single screen at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis, its sixth week in release.
The Rotten Tomatoes
approval rating is currently 40%.
In a message sent in January, 2010 to Ain't It Cool News
, Campbell officially announced the sequel, stating that "principal photography begins this fall in Oregon." In April, Ted Raimi confirmed that he would be involved with the project.
Comedy horror
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary and film genre, combining elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre almost always inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre; and in some respects could be considered a subset of it.The short story "The Legend...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, directed, co-produced by and starring B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
cult actor Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
. The film was written by Mark Verheiden
Mark Verheiden
Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He is a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.-Career:...
. It had a theatrical release in October 2008, followed by DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray releases on February 10, 2009.
Although Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, with whom Bruce frequently collaborates, is not involved with this production, much of the film is in the vein of the Evil Dead series. Ted Raimi
Ted Raimi
Theodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
(Sam's brother), also a frequent collaborator, appears in this film.
Campbell has shown several minutes of the movie during some of his campus lectures, as well as a few public screenings including showings at the sixth annual Ashland Independent Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival
The Ashland Independent Film Festival is a film festival in Ashland, Oregon, United States that has been presented by the non-profit Southern Oregon Film Society since 2001. Founded by D.W. and Steve Wood, the festival is held each spring over five days at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland...
, CineVegas
Cinevegas
CineVegas was a film festival held annually at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas that ran from 1999 to 2009, typically in early June. Robin Greenspun serves as the Festival president, and Trevor Groth serves as artistic director. Actor Dennis Hopper is the chairman of the Festival's creative...
and the eleventh annual East Lansing Film Festival
East Lansing Film Festival
The East Lansing Film Festival is one of the large film festival in the state of Michigan. It screens over 100 films in five days, including several shorts programs. It is held yearly, usually in late March...
. A trailer was released for the film as well and is available on various websites. A screening was held at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Tickets for the show sold out in less than two minutes, breaking the previous Alamo ticket sellout record, which was also set by a Bruce Campbell appearance at the theater in 1998.
Plot
In the mining town of Goldlick, Jeff (a huge fan of Bruce Campbell movies, played by Taylor Sharpe) and his friend Clayton (Logan Martin) go out to a cemetery to meet two girls, Big Debbie (Ariel Badenhop) and Little Debbie (Ali Akay). Jeff removes a medallion off the mausoleum, unleashing the Chinese god of the dead, Guan-Di (James Peck), who kills Clayton and the Debbies, while Jeff flees.Meanwhile, famed B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actor Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
is finishing filming for the fictional Cave Alien II, and is promised a birthday surprise from his agent, Mills Toddner (Ted Raimi
Ted Raimi
Theodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
). Bruce meets Jeff, who kidnaps Campbell and takes him to Goldlick in hopes that his hero can save the town from Guan-Di. Upon arrival, Bruce assumes it's his birthday surprise from Mills, and thinks it's all a movie, despite a lack of cameras and a script, and agrees to "help". He learns about Guan-Di in the town's hall and during a dinner party, Bruce gets on the good side of Jeff's mother, Kelly (Grace Thorsen), who had initially been irritated by Bruce's behaviour.
After gearing up at Goldlick's gun shop, Bruce and many citizens of Goldlick go out into the woods to take on Guan-Di, which Bruce still thinks is part of a movie. Bruce then finds out that it's all real and flees Goldlick, angering the townspeople, disappointing Kelly and upsetting Jeff. As part of a running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
, an Italian painter (also played by Ted Raimi
Ted Raimi
Theodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
) constantly repaints the population sign every time someone dies, including himself. Bruce returns to his caravan to find that everyone, including his own dog, hates him a lot. He has a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
placed upon him by his ex-wife, Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss
Ellen Sandweiss
Ellen Sandweiss is an American B-movie actress. She has also performed in musical theatre as a dancer and pop singer, and in a one-woman show of Jewish music....
), and finds that his "surprise birthday present" from Mills was just a prostitute named Kasey (Janelle Farber). Bruce is then called by Jeff, who informs him that he's going to take on Guan-Di alone in spite of Bruce's retreat.
Kasey takes Bruce back to Goldlick, where he is treated with contempt and tries to reconcile with Kelly. To rescue Jeff, they both drive to the old cemetery, in which they set up dynamite at the mausoleum and try to lure Guan-Di inside with one of Jeff's cardboard cut-outs of Bruce, which Guan-Di doesn't fall for. After kissing Kelly, Bruce decides to sacrifice himself (with bean curd playing a significant role in luring Guan-Di) and the dynamite is blown up. He emerges from the debris alive, and hangs the medallion back onto the mausoleum wall to ease the spirit. Guan-Di then also comes back to life, and at the very last minute, it turns out the whole scenario was a movie. Bruce argues with Ted Raimi about the cliched ending and turns it into a happy ending, which involves Bruce and Kelly married, living in a nice house with their son, Jeff, who is accepted into Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. After the movie ends, Bruce asks "What could be a better ending than that?", after which Guan-Di appears and kills Bruce.
Cast
- Bruce CampbellBruce CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
as Himself - Grace Thorsen as Kelly Graham
- Taylor Sharpe as Jeff
- Ted RaimiTed RaimiTheodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
as Mills Toddner / Wing / Ted The Sign Painter - Ben McCainBen McCainBen McCain is a Los Angeles-based actor, television host, news anchor, reporter, producer, director, writer and one half of The McCain Brothers, a singing and songwriting duo...
as the Mayor - Ellen SandweissEllen SandweissEllen Sandweiss is an American B-movie actress. She has also performed in musical theatre as a dancer and pop singer, and in a one-woman show of Jewish music....
as Cheryl - Timothy Patrick Quill as Frank
- Dan HicksDan Hicks (actor)Dan Hicks is an American actor. He is best known for starring roles in Evil Dead II and Intruder as well as appearing in various other horror films. He is a close friend of Sam Raimi and often has parts in his movies.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Dirt Farmer - Logan Martin as Clayton
- Ali Akay as Little Debbie
- Ariel Badenhop as Big Debbie
- Janelle Farber as Kasey
- James Peck as Guan-Di / Cavealien Monster
- Jen Brown as Petra
- Mike Estes as Fan #2
- Butch McCainButch McCainButch McCain is an American actor, broadcaster, writer, producer and one half of the singing songwriting team, The McCain Brothers. Butch has appeared numerous films including MGM's cult classic Bio-Dome, Roger Corman's remake of Humanoids from the Deep, and in Bruce Campbell's My Name Is Bruce,...
as the Sheriff/Farmer
Release
There was over a year's gap between the film's earliest screenings and its wider release in October 2008. Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
' Mike Richardson commented on this:
"'Some people maybe thought the film fell out or that there was something wrong with it,' Richardson says, touching on Bruce's slow journey getting before wide audiences. It was roughly a year ago that it screened to CineVegas film fest attendees. 'We did our shoot, put it in the can and the studio that financed it liked it so much they gave us more money to do a second shoot. We beefed it up so it could go into the theaters.'"
For the week of December 9, 2008, My Name is Bruce took in $17,214 on a single screen at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis, its sixth week in release.
Reception
Reviews on My Name is Bruce were mixed. One positive review came from Nick Rogers of Suite101.com, saying "My Name is Bruce won't give you sugar, baby. Not on its budget. But Splenda works fine as a substitute for this Kool-Aid, which Campbell knows fans will happily drink. A little bit of purposefully lousy filmmaking winds up going a long way." One negative review came from Felix Vasquez Jr. of "Cinema Crazed", calling it "Smug, silly, and forgettable, this vanity project wants to be the next cult hit but really is just another vehicle for Bruce Campbell."The Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
approval rating is currently 40%.
Sequel
Richardson said that a sequel, titled My Name is Still Bruce, is in the works. Dark Horse Entertainment and Image Entertainment will distribute both films. The title for the second film has since been changed to Bruce vs. Frankenstein.In a message sent in January, 2010 to Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
, Campbell officially announced the sequel, stating that "principal photography begins this fall in Oregon." In April, Ted Raimi confirmed that he would be involved with the project.
External links
- My Name Is Bruce at Bruce Campbell's official website
- My Name Is Bruce' on DVD' UK Film and Bruce Information.