This article was written by Lauren Weiner.
Normal is a little, boring town in the middle of wintry Minnesota, and it seems as though nothing ever happens there. That much is made very clear in the first thirty minutes of the film. Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk)—Normal’s very deliberately named protagonist—is the new interim sheriff in town. His day-to-day involves dealing with the minute troubles that plague small-town America.
The local handyman squabbles with the town's grumpy golden-ager. A knitting store owner orders the wrong color thread. These are the types of so-called "emergencies" Ulysses is called in to resolve. The humor here can be hokey, especially when the sheriff is monologuing. At other times, it’s dry, with characters being unself-aware in a way that’s similar to Fargo.
As scenes drift from one to the next, the audience begins to feel Ulysses' pain. Normal is a bland place. The buildings are run-down and washed out; everything is blanketed in pure white because of the snow. It’s all small-town people with small-town problems.
Every now and then, the plot thickens; throughout this, small hints are given that there’s more going on behind the dullness. Around the thirty-minute mark (far too long a time) something actually happens. This is the turning point; Normal becomes a dark action comedy rather than the shallow, plodding drama it started off as.
Each minute after is used well, and from then on, there’s not a dull moment. Even the color palette improves as the scenes shift from visually lackluster to washed in neon pinks and blues or soft yellows and vivid reds.
The humor is hit or miss. Fans of Bullet Train’s wit will enjoy Normal very much. Others may find that it’s very one-liner-heavy. Regardless, there are good bits slipped in here and there.
The fight coordination is absolutely incredible and has some clear influences from John Wick—that’s no wonder considering Normal was made by the same creators. The shots are really close and cramped as characters brawl. And it’s all very, very fast; the constant motion is captured perfectly with an intentionally shaky camera, making it all feel so real.
The fights aren’t just done with punches and kicks either. People are defending themselves with loose screws, meat hammers, and gold bars—it’s creativity at its finest. The environment morphs into a tool of survival, and the audience flinches as one unpredictable move follows another.
The resulting injuries are gruesome, so much so that Normal almost falls into another genre: body horror. Many of the effects are practical—both the pyrotechnics and the SFX makeup—which makes the movie all the more admirable.
Most shocking, though, is the fact that Normal has an appreciative theme within its comedic narrative. The movie tells the story of how small-town America is falling apart. Rural communities are sacrificing their human spirit, feeling they have no better alternative than to partner with malicious bodies for better funding and fiscal security. It’s an issue that’s plaguing small towns across the United States, and Normal manages to capture the heavy topic well, even if it’s under the guise of a silly action movie.
Normal is now in theaters.
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