LaRoy, Texas Reviews (original) (raw)

Summary Broke and depressed, Ray (John Magaro) is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip (Steve Zahn), he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.

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With Larroy, Texas, Atkinson proves himself a confident filmmaker and screenwriter with an ear for dialogue and skill in designing intriguing characters and situations.

Watching “LaRoy” is a lot like the seedy motel affairs that all of its characters seem to be having — two hours of fun, followed by a tragic feeling of emptiness and a desire for a shower.

While the film sometimes ventures into the absurd, Steve Zahn absolutely shines as a over-confident but likeable private detective determined to solve a case that he wasn't even hired for. John Magaro plays a downtrodden beta male who is walked all over by his wife (played brilliantly by Megan Stevenson) and his braggadocious brother (Matthew Del Negro). This is a showcase for all of the characters (and wonderful actors) that inhabit this fictional town. The director clearly idolizes the Cohen brothers, and this movie makes a great watch along side The Big Lebowski or Raising Arizona.

IN A NUTSHELL: The story is about a man who finds out his wife is cheating on him and decides he’s going to kill himself until a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was written and directed by Shane Atkinson, who is making his film debut. Already, the film has been nominated and won 5 awards from various film festivals. Kudos to Atkinson who looks to have a bright future in film! If you like the quirky Coen brothers’ movies, you might get a kick out of this one too. THINGS I LIKED: I’ve been such a fan of Steve Zahn for years. He always chooses such interesting roles to play. His character in this film is hilarious. Dylan Baker does an outstanding job in this. The entire cast does a beautiful job creating perfectly flawed, believable characters. So many scenes made me laugh out loud. There’s a plot twist. I love plot twists. The movie poster is intriguing. The music perfectly underscored the setting in rural Texas. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: I would have changed the ending a bit. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity, including F-bombs Murder with blood splatters Kids will be bored. We see a man in only his boxers.

It’s that assured blending of emotions that makes “LaRoy, Texas” a sturdy tonal journey—a film enamored with those living on the fringes of respectability—that bodes well for whatever freewheeling story Atkinson hopes to tell next.

LaRoy is the work of a director with unmistakable joy for this genre, approaching the material with a welcome earnestness.

While it never quite reaches the hilarious heights or existential depths of the Coens’ finest work, it does offer similarly enjoyable mixture of the macabre and the absurd.

There's an aloofness to the violence that gets more morbidly funny as the film goes on, but LaRoy, Texas does not trust its darker sensibilities and the last 15 minutes drift back into a conventional lane and away from the bizarre and fiendish tone that was unexpectedly working up until that point.

If Atkinson isn’t quite the Coen inheritor he aspires to be, this hectic flurry of schemers, snatchers and low-lifes puts him three-quarters of the way to inventing a new genre: Texan noir farce.

Small movies beat the snot outa' big Hollywood. You know why? Because characters are believable. This movie made me grin constantly. Steve Zahn has always flown under the radar, as has John Magaro. But when you see them in a thing, you say " ohh, that guy.I like that guy ". Crafty writing. Good acting. Smart cast. Perfectly horrible small town.

Production Company Adastra Films, FLOTE Entertainment, Ellly Films, NEXT Productions

Release Date Apr 12, 2024

Duration 1 h 50 m

Rating Unrated

Tagline It's important to finish things.

Deauville Film Festival

• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations

Gasparilla International Film Festival

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations