Dallas Film Now.

Thomas Haden Church, Rudy Pankow, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Bruce Dern star. 

In January 2006, I moved to Texas. I didn’t intend to stay this long, but sometimes, that’s just how things work out. 

Something similar happens to Erwin. The fledgling actor is on his way home to California from Louisiana when his car breaks down. Lacking the means to fix the car himself, he is roped into helping local oilman Merle while he’s stranded in a small town in Texas. 

Rural communities in Texas have inspired many movies, from desperate action movies like A Small Town in Texas (1976) to poignant period pieces like The Last Picture Show (1971) to terrifying horror movies, including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), to pick just three from my favorite movie decade. Accidental Texan leans toward the soft and gentle side of small town life. 

First published in 1999, Chocolate Lizards by Cole Thompson drew upon the author’s experience in the West Texas oil fields as a graduate of Stanford University. Adapted for the screen by Julie B. Denny, Harvard graduate Erwin (Rudy Pankow) finds himself in Buffalo Gap, Texas, population 543, just south of Abilene. 

A few details are different, but the gist of the novel remains the same: facing bankruptcy and the loss of his land (and business), oilman Merle (Thomas Haden Church) clutches at straws to keep the evil, corrupt bankers at bay. Meanwhile, facing the possible end of his flailing attempts to become a professional actor, Erwin must decide what he will do with the rest of his life. 

The second feature directed by veteran storyboard artist Mark Lambert Bristol (Natural Selection, 1999), the film is congenial and folksy, even as it gradually builds increasing momentum toward a conclusion that is sure to be crowd pleasing. In that sense, it feels very much like a comfortable trip to a familiar yet beloved destination. 

But what tour guides! Bringing a weathered understanding of his upbeat, likable character, Thomas Haden Church also hints at Merle’s weariness from years and years of hard physical labor. He’s not one to complain; he’s built to make the most of any situation. 

Merle is also the type of boss that we all want to have: someone who leads by his own hard-working, positive example. He’s the never-say-die type who must deal with the uncomfortable reality that he may, finally, have to accept that things will not turn out as he wishes, for himself and for his workers. 

Rudy Pankow injects his character with youth, vitality and overconfidence. He plays as though he’s entirely assured and in control of things; he reflects the never-say-die type of positive thinking that all actors must possess in order to keep going, despite rejection after rejection. 

Yet, similar to Merle, he is coming to the conclusion that he may need to adjust his life goals. He is far younger than Merle, so his possibilities are far more open, but he’ll need to face the harsh reality that not every aspiring actor becomes a working actor, much less a star, and the young Pankow adroitly manifests this dawning realization in his portrayal.  

In the supporting cast, Carrie Moss essays a longtime diner waitress who is facing her own personal crossroad; Bruce Dern adds color as a crusty longtime resident; AnnaClare Hicks stands out as a feisty oil worker; and Brad Leland is never to be trusted as an ally of the bankers. 

Accidental Texan is filled with incidental pleasures that add up to a leisurely Sunday dinner at Whataburger. 

The film released Friday, March 8, only in theaters, via Roadside Attractions.  For more information about the film, visit the official site.