Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
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A teenage author discovers that his idol has plagiarized his science fiction story.
The story
Benjamin Purvis is a teenager who spends his spare time writing science fiction stories, specifically a tale about a hero named Bronco. While attending a writing camp, he meets his idol, the prolific Ronald Chevalier, who announces a contest for the writers. After receiving encouragement from a fellow camper, Benjamin submits his story. However, the situation takes a turn when Chevalier, facing pressure from his publisher, chooses to steal Benjamin's work, rebranding it as his own and rushing it into production.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Benjamin Purvis lives with his single mother Judith, who designs tacky clothes and makes rock-hard popcorn balls. Benjamin writes science fiction stories, including 'Yeast Lords,' which features a hero named Bronco. While attending a writing camp, Benjamin submits 'Yeast Lords' to a contest hosted by his idol, Ronald Chevalier. Chevalier, desperate for new material after a rejection, plagiarizes the story, changing the hero to an effeminate character named Brutus and publishing it as 'Brutus and Balzaak.' Benjamin discovers the plagiarism after seeing a low-budget film adaptation of his work and a copy of Chevalier's book. He confronts Chevalier at a book signing, leading to an assault and Benjamin's arrest. However, Judith reveals she has been registering all of Benjamin's stories with the Writers Guild of America since he was seven. This registration allows Benjamin to expose Chevalier as a fraud. 'Brutus and Balzaak' is pulled from shelves, and Benjamin uses the proceeds to help Judith launch a successful fashion show.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jared Hess
- Writers
- Jared Hess · writer; Jerusha Hess · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Angarano · Benjamin Purvis; Jennifer Coolidge · Judith Purvis; Jemaine Clement · Dr. Ronald Chevalier; Mike White · Dusty; Hector Jimenez · Lonnie Donaho; Halley Feiffer · Tabatha Jenkins; Josh Pais · Todd Keefe; Sam Rockwell · Bronco/Brutus
- Themes
- plagiarism; parental support; artistic integrity
- Tone and mood
- quirky; juvenile
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; comedy; writer's life
- Source material / true-story basis
- spec script
- Content notes
- potty humor
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews and was pulled from theaters due to poor reception, though it received some critical praise from specific outlets.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 20% · review count: 79; Metacritic · score: 28 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; Roger Ebert · score: 2 · scale: 4
- Production trivia
- The film was intended for a theatrical release but was pulled due to poor reviews.; Filming took place in Tooele, Utah.; The opening credits feature artwork by fantasy and science fiction artist David Lee Anderson.
Genres
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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