The Death of Dick Long 2019 * * * Stars

Director: Daniel Scheinert
Year: 2019
Rated R
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Michael Abbott Jr., Virginia Newcomb, Andre Hyland

"Guess we got a little carried away last night". You may be right Mr. Andre Hyland. Hyland plays a vapor smoking townie named Earl Wyeth in 2019's The Death of Dick Long.

Anyway, have you ever seen a version of Fargo and/or A Simple Plan without all the epic self-seriousness? And have you ever seen a version of Fargo and/or A Simple Plan with a heavier touch of Jerry Springer? The Death of Dick Long is that version and at 100 mostly enthralling minutes, it's my latest review.

"Long", with its snapshot of small town life, its skewed Mayberry tones, and its cliche of mostly bumbling police officers, feels like something pretty disturbing. It also has kooky moments in it that might make you sort of chuckle. It's kinda like the Coen brothers concocting cinema on the fly during a rushed, weekend holiday.

The actors in "Long" (Hyland mentioned earlier, Virginia Newcomb, Michael Abbott Jr.) are unknown but they do a decent job and are for looks sake, decently cast. Abbott Jr. looks like a cross between Michael Sheen and Steve Zahn while Newcomb gives off that old school, Sissy Spacek vibe.

Referencing Pulp Fiction, taking place in Alabama, and featuring a married couple named Dick and Jane (I'm not kidding), The Death of Dick Long is about three drunk buddies who take on a hard night of partying. After one of said buddies dies, the other two vow to cover it up while trying to evade the slow poke, Bama po-po.

Bottom line: The Death of Dick Long has characters in it that you follow incessantly despite their high level of befuddle-ness and their high level of being addled. Their Southern fried journey and their trashy white ambivalence is more overwhelming than the film's ultimate destination. Rating: 3 stars.

Written by Jesse Burleson