McConaugheMay Day 8: The Newton Boys

Lo and behold, a Richard Linklater movie I'd never heard of, which has become even more rare an occurrence since investing myself in the movie scene in Austin, Texas. While it’s always a pleasure to watch more of a great director’s filmography, The Newton Boys, released in that awkward period after nineties indie hits like Before Sunrise but before he had his mainstream comeback with 2003’s School of Rock, sees Linklater stuck between two diametrically opposed poles that he excels at.

Based on the true story of a group of criminal brothers from Uvalde, Texas, The Newton Boys offers a star-studded cast that can’t pull the film out of a largely forgettable mid-range film. There's absolutely some pleasures here, especially if you're attracted to midwest-looking white dudes. We get starring roles from Ethan Hawke, McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D'Onofrio, country singer Dwight Yokam; there is a whole lunch-size serving of a specific range of weird-to-handsome looking Okhloma-ish boys. There's also some fun textures in the production design and location scouting here, especially when I recognized Austin locales like the Paramount Theater. The film largely stumbles in that the pacing and writing can't quite keep up with the acting. The script tries to condense a lifetime of brotherhood, bank robberies, and romances into a two hour film that feels both too shallow and too packed all at once. An average moviegoer might hear something like, "a movie stars Hawke, McConaughey, Ulrich, and D'Onorfrio as brothers, with Yokam as main supporting actor" and the mind makes a much more interesting character-driven film than the one ultimately released.

Despite its somewhat relegated place in the careers of nearly everyone involved, this is still clearly a passion project from the Texan crew. McConaughey is from Uvalde, Texas, and he is clearly invested in the real life history of these legendary outlaws. The Texas pride bleeds through every shot, and the closing text emphasizes that they never killed anyone in their long career of criminal activity. An anti-capitalist outlaw streak pervades the film, even if the film struggles to carry the weight of the true story, the state pride, the complicated romances and fraternal bonds all at the same time.

We do get to see Hawke's hog in a long shot though. Can't complain too much. It's not about the task or the reward, but about the work involved in digging it out. We are all slaves to ourselves, all captive to our captors. Let us imagine a place more free than the world we've built, let us build a place that surpasses our imaginations. We are who we pretend to be, so let us pretend to be good men with good intentions and hope that's enough.