A special screening of Bruce Campbell’s latest directorial effort, “My Name is Bruce,” is not rightly called so — each of the actor-director-producer’s works is unique in its own right. Although unheard of in today’s big budget horror industry of “Friday the Thirteenth” remakes and adaptations of Japanese scripts, touring with select screenings of his film is something the cult icon who once lopped his own hand off only to have it beat the shit out of him is happy to do.
The movie starts with a split in narrative. The first involves a group of goth teenagers traipsing around a cemetery of long-dead Chinese laborers who then awaken the unstoppable force of Guan-Di, the Chinese god of war, protector of the dead and patron saint of bean curd. His long and flowing Fu-Manchu produces instant laughs among the audience. Decapitation begins within only a few minutes of the opening scene, letting the viewer settle in for a tasteful amount of gore mixed with an excessive level of contrived horror movie silliness.
The other half is a self-deprecating look at the worst-case scenario of Bruce Campbell and his view of a dead career. After filming “Cave Alien 2” — a jab at a sickeningly real “Alien Apocalypse” — Campbell as himself proceeds to drink cheap whiskey out of his dog’s dish and call his ex-wife at three in the morning. The two stories combine when a fan kidnaps him to help deal with his town’s Chinese god of war problems. More decapitation ensues.
The film itself is campy to the cheesiest extent. The 86-minute runtime is packed full of references to a career filled with overacting and machismo that would be lost on anyone but fanboys and their girlfriends (probably with dyed hair and at least one hat with ears). Campbell fanatics out there will be glad to hear the many references and cameos come from the “Evil Dead” series.
Some might criticize Campbell for alienating anyone looking for a legitimate film, but that is exactly the point of “My Name is Bruce.” This movie is made purely for the fans, and if it isn’t Campbell’s question-and-answer session for almost every showing that proves this, then the line “‘McHale’s Navy’ sucked!” should tip the viewer off to the aim of the flick.
Campbell shows deference towards his fans but sprinkles in good-natured and hilarious ribbing. Questions during these Q&A sessions range from “What’s the difference between a cameo in ‘Spider-Man’ and doing your movie?” to “Why didn’t you use a chainsaw?” — producing laughs among the audience. Campbell is completely at ease with his fans, and the feeling is mutual.
The movie is as ridiculous in its use of slapstick and excessive clich?s as it should be. Yet, there’s a self-reflective look at some of the awful B-movies and crappy roles in Campbell’s past that not only shows how much of a sense of humor he has about himself, but that in making this, he cares what his fans want and is able to produce something that both he enjoys and the fans eat up.
Among the multitude of nerdy questions, the ones returned to frequently regard Campbell’s plans for future work. Though kitschy and sometimes just plain vulgar in its presentation, Campbell’s genuine intentions are highlighted in “My Name is Bruce.”
4 1/2 stars out of 5
