Bubba the Redneck Werewolf review.
This cycle’s Full Moon Feature looks back ten years for a werewolf comedy that in no way needs its werewolf protagonist. It’s time for Bubba the Redneck Werewolf.
Classic movie reviews will contain spoilers.
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf
Directed by Brendan Jackson Rogers
Written by Stephen Biro
Starring Fred Lass, Chris Stephens, Malone Thomas, Mitch Hyman, Gary Norris, Sara Humbert and Gail Fleming
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf Review
Let it never be said that Full Moon Features leave some stones unturned. Yes, we are covering a 2014 movie called Bubba the Redneck Werewolf. We have yet to get to…say…An American Werewolf in London or Ginger Snaps…but here we go with Bubba the Redneck Werewolf. I’m going to give you a peak behind the curtain for a second. I have on two occasions watched a movie I thought was about werewolves for this feature only to discover mid-viewing that this was not the case. For the record…those films were Project Wolf Hunting and Burial. The reason I bring this up is that Bubba the Redneck Werewolf somehow manages to be nearly as uninterested in werewolves as two movies that don’t even contain one. Let’s get into it.
Bubba’s life isn’t going well. He’s broke, he’s lost his girl, and his future looks empty. All that is about to change when the Devil hits town looking for him. Bubba makes a deal with him to becomes strong, powerful, lovable, no longer bald…and get a four-slice toaster. When he wakes up the next morning…he’s a werewolf. With his new strength, confidence and charisma…thinks are about to turn around for old Bubba. Even if it costs him his soul.
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf seemingly turns its protagonist into a werewolf for two reasons. First, to fit the terms of Bubba’s wish. Second, to make the original song that plays over the opening credits work. To be fair, the song is kind of a banger. These are, roughly, the only purposes that Bubba becoming a werewolf serve. When I say that this movie is uninterested in werewolves…I mean it may as well not have one.
The movie begins with a fortune teller…a brief moments that provided some hope that Bubba the Redneck Werewolf was going to have a bunch of fun nods to classic werewolf movies. Lon Chaney Jr’s The Wolf Man featured a fortune teller, after all. Given what follows…this appears to have been incidental. The story takes place in the town of Broken Taint in Cracker County. An early warning that the comedy of the piece is going to give us a rough watch. That ends up being wrong as well. The intentionally silly tone and committed actors lead to a surprisingly watchable production.
Bubba’s wolf form looks like a high-end costume you can buy online. It does feature some good-looking work around the face. The eyes are clear, and the mouth articulates well. Other than that, it looks like something you can get for yourself if you pay enough. There is no transformation scene. The full moon plays no part in anything. Will silver kill him? Can a bite or scratch curse someone else? Who knows. There is no mythos created and no tropes played with. He just happens to be a werewolf. And he’s happy about it.
The whole town seems to be. There are some jokes about how no one can even tell that he’s a werewolf…just that there is something different about him. They aren’t “funny” jokes…but they are “fitting” observations for how much Bubba the Redneck Werewolf cares about that aspect of the film. He quickly wins Bobbie Jo’s heart back from Dangerous Dwight. Suddenly, Bubba’s life is looking up. There is, of course, a catch. The Devil has come to town to steal everyone’s souls. He offers what you most desire in exchange. With Bubba having gone from zero to hero…people are lining up to make a deal.
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf is rarely, if ever, laugh out loud funny. It does have a breezy energy that makes it watchable enough. There are some funny lines here and there. The exaggerated performances work well with what the movie is aiming for. The committed actors probably make this better than it has any right to be. The digital effects aren’t great…but the movie cuts around them enough to mask some of it.
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf is the kind of movie that ends with a climactic game of quarters between a werewolf and the devil. So that’s exactly what it does. If Bubba wins, he will get all the contracts the town has signed. Which he, of course, does. They can’t rid the town of the devil until a completely unrelated character (Biker Bob) arrives to speak his name. By that point in Bubba the Redneck Werewolf…you’ve either turned it off or you’re fine with whatever weird choices it makes.
You’d think a story like this would end with Bubba recognizing that the strength he needed was inside him all along. You’d assume he would rip up his contract and revert to his human form. He does not. Being a wolf in this universe is so little of an inconvenience that the movie posits remaining in that form permanently is an upgrade. But, as I said, if you are still watching at this point in the story…you’re fine with the weird choices. This choice may fail a commonsense test for a character arc…but it perfectly fits how Bubba the Redneck Werewolf treats the curse to begin with.
If you are in the mood for a werewolf comedy…this is not it. If you are looking for a strange little comedy that contains a chuckle or two…Bubba the Redneck Werewolf mostly delivers on that front. It’s a light, watchable redneck comedy that benefits from a large buy in from the cast. There are countless better movies to watch. But, recognizing this as the faint praise that it is, there are also worse.
Scare Value
Let’s not confuse the word “watchable” with “good”. Bubba the Redneck Werewolf is not a good movie. It is, however, much more watchable than you’d expect. Everyone is committed to its oddball energy. When the people on screen are having fun…some of it is bound to rub off on you. The story is suitably silly…the actors play it broad to match. There is shockingly little point to this starring a werewolf, however. Like…no reason whatsoever.
2/5
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf Links
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