Starring:
Johnny Knoxville as Daltry Calhoun
Elizabeth Banks as May
Beth Grant as Dee
Laura Cayouette as Wanda Banks
Thomas Jackson Burt as Farmer
Ken Jackson as Charlie
Sophie Traub as June
David Koechner as Doyle Earl
Matthew Sharp as Eugene
James Parks as Arlo
Kick Gurry as Frankie
Juliette Lewis as Flora
Andrew Prine as Sheriff Cabot
Special Features:
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Writer/Director Katrina Holden Bronson, Producer Danielle Renfrew, And Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino
Feature Commentary By Writer/Director Katrina Holden Bronson, Producer Danielle Renfrew, And Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino
“Hollywood Comes To Tennessee: The Making Of Daltry Calhoun”
Blue Mother Tupelo’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”
The B Team
Theatrical Trailer
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following text is from the DVD cover:
“From Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino … This quirky and heartwarming comedy stars Johnny Knoxville (The Dukes of Hazzard) and Juliette Lewis (Cold Creek Manor, Starsky & Hutch) in a hilarious cast! Daltry Calhoun (Knoxville) is a wildly eccentric dreamer whose grass seed business has helped build up tiny Ducktown, Tennessee. But just as this local hero gets rolling on his riskiest and most grandiose plan ever, Daltry’s past catches up with him in the form of a precocious teenage daughter (Sophie Traub) he’s never known! Also starring David Koechner (The Dukes of Hazzard) and Elizabeth Banks (Seabiscuit).”
Daltry Calhoun is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug material and language.
The Movie:
I wanted to like Daltry Calhoun. The film had Quentin Tarantino as an executive producer and a good cast. Unfortunately, it didn’t win me over. It does nothing original and varies widely in tone. It transitions from being sickeningly sweet to being raunchy with little warning. It also changes from lighthearted comedy to depressing drama quite regularly. The result is a film that tries to do too much and ends up failing across the board.
Despite having an unimpressive story, the cast of the film is excellent. Johnny Knoxville plays Daltry Calhoun and proves again hat he’s capable of doing more than comedy and stupid MTV stunts. Not much more, but he gets the job done. Unfortunately fans of his may be disappointed to see that this movie is more of a chick flick than what he’s typically known for. Elizabeth Banks is also good as May, but she’s more entertaining as Daltry’s redneck lover than his dying wife. Kick Gurry is also fun as Frankie, Daltry’s Aussie grass specialist. I loved him in Garage Days and found him to be entertaining in this film as well. Juliette Lewis is also a strong presence in the film as Flora, Daltry’s new love. She doesn’t have much to do in the first half of the film but becomes a key player in the second half. She plays off of Knoxville well. Sophie Traub rounds out the main cast as June. She’s a relative newcomer but holds her own next to the veteran actors. She gives June a lot of sass, spirit, and intelligence. It’s a big starring role for her.
In the end Daltry Calhoun isn’t a perfect film, but it’s not a bad start either for first time writer and director Katrina Holden Bronson. I expect to see more impressive work from her in the future.
The Extras:
There are quite a few bonus features on this DVD. Here are the highlights:
Bloopers This is your standard blooper reel featuring flubbed lines, accidents with props, and various other mishaps.
Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Writer/Director Katrina Holden Bronson, Producer Danielle Renfrew, And Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino There are five or so deleted scenes and half of them feature Kick Gurry as Frankie. We see him arriving on the bus while watching a DVD of Caddyshack. We then see him arriving at Daltry’s home and assuming that our hero is gay. Another scene shows Elizabeth Banks telling Daltry that he needs to find a new wife when she dies. The final deleted scene shows Daltry and June having a huge fight (that wouldn’t have been resolved in the film as it was).
Feature Commentary By Writer/Director Katrina Holden Bronson, Producer Danielle Renfrew, And Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino It’s odd that none of the actors take part in the commentary, but the participants certainly keep the discussion moving. Tarantino in particular keeps the discussion rolling as he prompts the others with questions and anecdotes from the set.
“Hollywood Comes To Tennessee: The Making Of Daltry Calhoun” This is your standard “making of” video featuring interviews with the cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, and other such stuff. They focus on filming in Tennessee.
Blue Mother Tupelo’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” This is a slow, Southern rendition of the song that is sung while footage from the film rolls.
The B Team This is an in-joke from the set involving David Koechner, Kick Gurry, and Juliette Lewis. Since they all arrived to the set late, they referred to themselves as the “B-Team”. They bonded over dinners together and that continued onto the set. It’s funny to see their antics and hear their stories. They certainly pick on the other cast members, too.
The Bottom Line:
I’m not sure who to recommend Daltry Calhoun to. Knoxville fans will enjoy it if they want to see his acting abilities more then him getting hit in the crotch. Fans of Chick Flicks will probably like it since they have a high tolerance for sappiness.
