"Normal" Movie Review

So, it was very clever to make 2021’s Nobody, a fairly simple and formulaic story with Saul Goodman… and it worked.

Then, four years later, they made a sequel with Nobody 2. It wasn’t quite as good as the original, and they didn’t even bother changing the title… and it worked.

But then they took the same great actor, Bob Odenkirk, and made essentially the exact same movie for a third time, albeit in a new setting—Normal, Minnesota—and with an almost-original title, Normal… and it worked again.

Ulysses Richardson—who names a lead character Ulysses in a 21st-century movie?!—is reassigned to the podunk, sleepy town of Normal, which could easily double for Buffalo, New York. Who knew this little backwoods town held a dark secret that every single person is in on, fully supports, and is willing to kill—and even die—to protect? And some do both.

It’s great to see Henry Winkler not only in a strong supporting role, but as the bad guy, no less. It’s also always nice to see the beautiful Lena Headey, although she’s wasted in a tiny role with no real substance.

Ultimately, Ulysses kills everyone—and I mean everyone—and survives, only to get reassigned to a better place while the rest of his life, including his love life, falls neatly into place.

So much fun.

- Paul Rosen