Title – The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)

Director – Jody Hill (Observe and Report)

Cast – Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Montana Jordan, Carrie Coon, Scoot McNairy

Plot – Self-centred deer hunter Buck Ferguson (Brolin) heads on a hunting trip with his estranged teenage son Jaden (Jordan) and his long-term camera-man Don (McBride) to find and shoot a whitetail deer.

“I always considered myself more of a Marriott kind of guy”

Review by Eddie on 18/07/2018

There’s a problem with original Netflix films.

For all the Beast’s of No Nation’s and Kodachrome’s there’s countless original Netflix properties that are either instantly forgettable or downright bad, a problem that the streaming giant must soon overcome, should it quickly find itself the hotbed for projects that no one else wants, for good reason.

Continuing on the worrying trend that arguably finds roughly 1 out of 10 Netflix distributed films actually being worth a watch, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter is a comedic misstep that wastes the talents of its two leads Josh Brolin and Danny McBride on a terribly amateurish production that points to Netflix caring very little for quality control over a project that should’ve been one of its gems of 2018.

Directed by Jody Hill whose been involved in fantastic projects like Vice Principals and Eastbound and Down and directed memorable cult-comedy outings The Foot Fist Way and Observe and Report, Whitetail seemingly had all the elements to be an odd comedy with a heart and soul but this tail of Brolin’s macho deer hunting TV personality Buck Ferguson out on a trip with his estranged teenage son Jaden to bond and learn life lessons is a chore to sit through despite its brief 80 minute runtime.

Brolin, whose on a hot streak of late, gives it his all and he once more proves a capable comedic presence but despite his best attempts and his comradery with McBride’s cameraman Don, the material these two are working work, the lifeless and careless direction of Hill behind the camera and the annoying badly accented turn by Montana Jordan as Jaden combine to make Whitetail a genuine misfire.

Devoid of any hearty laughs and with a irksome preachy core at its centre, Whitetail feels like neither a comedy or an interesting drama and instead comes off as an unpolished hybrid that is not going to appeal to many a viewer.

Final Say –

A huge disappointment, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter is a further example of Netflix’s worrying inability to convert original movie content into worthwhile end products and there’s little wonder as to why this film was likely passed over by most studios before the streaming behemoth said yes to financing this forgettable and boring turkey.

1 inflatable mattress out of 5