Film Review - My Name is Bruce (2007)

Bruce Campbell Directs Himself, Pokes Fun at Himself

Mar 9, 2009 Andrea Beca

My Name is Bruce is the ultimate movie for any Bruce Campbell fan - it has Campbell making fun of himself the entire time!

Bruce Campbell has a good sense of humour. He must if he’s been willing to act in hilariously bad B-Movies like Army of Darkness and Evil Dead. Most of his films have since become famous cult classics in the horror genre. Now Bruce is back with yet another B-Movie, but instead of playing the hero, he plays himself.

So Bad It’s Good

My Name is Bruce has every element of a terrible B-Movie – its characters are often stereotypical and two-dimensional, its storyline is somewhat predictable, its villain is a man in a tacky costume. But everything works in this case because Campbell, who not only stars in Mark Verheiden’s film, but also acts as director of the piece, is continually drawing attention to the stereotypes and making fun of them.

The premise is this: in the small mining town of Gold Lick, Oregon, the ancient Chinese god of war (and bean curd) is accidentally loosed upon the world when a teenage boy, Jeff (Taylor Sharpe) discovers and removes an amulet from the entrance to a mine shaft, which has been converted into a graveyard since an accident that left countless Chinese miners dead.

Being the absolute, most devoted, number 1 fan of Bruce Campbell, Jeff decides to go to his hero for help. At the same time, Bruce (Campbell), who is fed up with his waning career and the poor quality films he has been making, has been promised the best birthday present ever by his agent (Ted Raimi). When Jeff kidnaps him and brings him to Gold Lick, he thinks he’s entered a fully scripted birthday prank. When he learns the truth, though, the road gets rocky and Bruce is forced to choose between abandoning the dangerous wrath of Guan-Di (James J. Peck) or staying to save the day and prove his love for hot barmaid (and Jeff’s young mother) Kelly Graham (Grace Thorsen)

Horror-Turned-Comedy Offers Laughs All the Way Through

Whether you’re watching it because you love Bruce Campbell, or you’re just looking for a good laugh, My Name is Bruce will provide what you’re looking for. The script pays homage to many of Bruce’s past films – a life-size cardboard cut out of Campbell is even used as a ploy to battle Guan-Di – and at the same time stands alone as the story of a washed-up movie star who is forced into real action for the first time.

Campbell is absolutely delightful playing “himself” – he becomes a caricature of sorts, exaggerating his persona to become a cocky-yet-down-on-his-luck 40-something who is in desperate need of a change of pace. This is not to be missed.

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Bruce Campbell in My Name is Bruce