• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Sale
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Film Reviews

Film Review: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter Finds Itself Drawn to the Everyman

Josh Brolin and Danny McBride take a trip to the woods to discover themselves

B-

Directed by

  • Jody Hill

Starring

  • Josh Brolin
  • Danny McBride
  • Montana Jordan

Release Year

  • 2018

Rating

  • R
Advertisement
Dan Caffrey
July 2, 2018 | 2:00pm ET

    The following review was originally published as part of our coverage of the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival.

    With everything he’s written and directed, Jody Hill (along with a rotating inner circle of writing partners) has ventured deeper and deeper into the psyche of the male buffoon. Of course, that means revealing that they aren’t actually buffoons at all, but severely troubled, often mentally unstable men with a swarm of demons nipping at their heels. For all of their blue humor, the characters in Vice Principals, Eastbound & Down, and especially Observe and Report occupy a very, very black place.

    A remote expanse of woods seems like the perfect location to dive even deeper into the withering core of a Hill protagonist, offering none of the modern-day distractions of the suburban South, which has often been the setting of his work. Even if Eastbound‘s Kenny Powers was able to lug his jet ski out there, he’d have a hard time navigating it through the rapids.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    But despite the secluded setting, Hill and co-writer Danny McBride (alongside John Carcieri) go in the opposite direction with their latest exploration of macho fuck-ups, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter. Although B-list celebrity hunter Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin) has his fair share of problems, they’re more of the everyman variety. He’s still in love with his ex-wife (Carrie Coon) and has grown jealous of how much her new partner (Scoot McNairy) is bonding with their 11-year-old son, Jaden (Montana Jordan). He’s struggled a bit with drinking, but his substance abuse is a far cry from the constant cocaine and steroids consumption on Eastbound.

    To strengthen his bond with his son and breathe some life into his video series, Buck takes Jaden and his cameraman Don (McBride) into the forest so the boy can kill his first whitetail deer. What follows is a mixture of macho posturing, survivalist hijinks, and moments where all three characters are forced to confront their relationships with each other. Buck finds it hard to hide his disgust over Jaden’s softness and constant attachment to his phone, Jaden grapples with his academic failures and pleasing his father, and Don questions his own allegiance to someone as selfish as Buck — a professional friendship that’s resulted in humility and a missing toe for him over the years.

    However common this type of turmoil might be among fathers, sons, and friends, none of it makes for an especially compelling emotional arc, probably because we’ve seen this story so many times before. Pathos tends to rear its head in Hill’s work when he goes a little darker and weirder, when the problems go beyond men simply learning how to accept one another. When Buck, Jaden, and Don’s relationship issues are so run-of-the-mill, it’s easy to see how everything’s going to resolve itself.

    Advertisement

    What Legacy does have going for it, however, is the characters’ inner turmoil and a sense of humor. McBride proves to be adept as ever with good-natured (if misguided and inappropriate) dick jokes, and for such a young actor, Jordan strikes a remarkable balance between insufferable adolescence and outright vulnerability. His crowning moment comes when he tries to make his way through Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” on guitar while everyone’s seated around a campfire. He fudges the chords and strives for emotion in the same awkward way as so many middle-schoolers before him (even though he’s been held back and is still in the fifth grade). You can’t help but both laugh at and feel for a kid who wants so badly to be both sensitive and backwoods-tough.

    But the inevitable standout is Brolin, who digs his bloodied boot-heels into the role of Buck. On camera and in front of others, he’s all good ol’ machismo and hunter’s grin, both of which drop away during moments of solitude. Only then does he feel permitted to be self-hating and, at times, meditative — usually when he sees a deer. Regardless of his personality, the guy really does connect with nature. The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter may not achieve that same kind of majesty in its central conflict, but it succeeds as a minor work from Jody Hill, which if nothing else is still good for more than a few laughs.

    Trailer:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • Carrie Coon
  • Danny McBride
  • Jody Hill
  • Josh Brolin
  • Scoot McNairy
  • SXSW 2018 Coverage

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Advertisement

Popular Stories

Tommy Lee

Heavy Consequence

Whoops! Tommy Lee Posts Full Frontal Nude Selfie on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

michelle branch patrick carney break up

Music

Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney Break Up

Celebrate National CBD Day with 20% OFF at Consequence Shop!

Celebrate National CBD Day with 20% OFF at Consequence Shop!

Advertisement

anne heche toxicology report drugs cocaine crash alcohol fentanyl coma

Pop Culture

Anne Heche: Toxicology Report Indicates Presence of Drugs at Time of Crash

post 2000 indie albums

Lists

10 Post-2000 Indie Albums You Forgot You Kinda Dig

Personalized Stories

Around The Web

Latest Stories

B-
Day Shift Review Jamie Foxx

Day Shift Review: Jamie Foxx’s Vampire Hunter Movie Boasts Great Fight Scenes and Formulaic Comedic Beats

August 11, 2022

C-
They/Them Review Kevin Bacon

They/Them Review: Kevin Bacon-Starring Slasher Proves Hollow

August 5, 2022

B+
Bodies Bodies Bodies Review A24

Bodies Bodies Bodies Skewers Gen-Z Figuratively and Literally: Review

August 4, 2022

A-
Prey Review Predator Sequel Hulu

Prey Is the Predator Sequel We've All Been Waiting For: Review

August 3, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Music Videos
  • Streaming
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do not sell my personal information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Film Review: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter Finds Itself Drawn to the Everyman

Menu Shop Search Sale
Consequence
News
  • All News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week
  • Giveaways
Live
  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
  • Rootsland
  • This Must Be The Gig
  • Assembly
Videos
  • Interview
  • Video Essay
  • Fan Theories
  • Sole Kitchen
  • Annotated Video
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close