Watch Pottersville on Netflix
Written by: Daniel Meyer
Directed by: Seth Henrikson
Starring: Michael Shannon, Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Ian McShane
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Local businessman Maynard is mistaken for the legendary Bigfoot during an inebriated romp through town in a makeshift gorilla costume. The sightings set off an international Bigfoot media spectacle and a windfall of tourism dollars for the small town of Pottersville.
Verdict
The description conjured an image of a man stuck in a moral dilemma. I didn't realize this was primarily a cheesy Christmas movie. This refuses any drama and instead embraces bad jokes. The movie is ridiculously shallow. Does Michael Shannon ever refuse a role? This movie suggests he doesn't. Michael Shannon could have gone emotionally dark, but instead he's stuck in an ill-fitting comedy that takes a great concept and does as little development as possible.
Skip it.
Review
Maynard (Michael Shannon) is a store owner in a small town that's struggling financially. The movie makes a point to portray him as nice and kind, so when he went home early to surprise his wife I knew exactly what was coming.
I did not expect his wife and another man dressed in animal mascot uniforms. Hurt at the betrayal, Maynard gets drunk and makes his own mascot uniform, stumbling about town and waking up over the toilet. People claim they saw big foot and it makes the news with the small town becoming a tourist destination.
This small town on the edge of extinction is suddenly filled with tourists, bringing in money.
Maynard wants to reveal his folly, but he also doesn't want to turn off the cash flow. He cares for the town and the people in it.
I liked the idea of a moral dilemma. Maynard saves the town based on a lie. Revealing the truth could devastate the town. What I expected and what this is are vastly different. There's an annoying reality television host that wants to film big foot. That character was annoying and added nothing. It made the movie more shallow than it already was as this becomes the focus. We know reality television is fake, so I don't know why the movie wanted to explore that.
This is a weird concept and set up, but it becomes a surprisingly cheesy Christmas movie with the unwanted bonus of a lot of 'furry' jokes.
Everyone hates him when they find out it was all a ruse until they are reminded of what a kind person he is and all is forgiven. Maynard learns a little about himself, and the town opens their hearts.
This could have explored Maynard's emotional state during the ordeal. He doesn't want to lie, but the lie is helping. You could make this morally gray with the money he's making and contrast that with how much he's given away. He' stuck between a soon to be ex-wife and a potential girlfriend, but nothing happens there either.
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