Film

Gentlemen Broncos

Name: Gentlemen Broncos
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Drama
Released: 2009
Cast: Michael Angarano, Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, Halley Feiffer

Comedy

Gentlemen Broncos is Jared Hess's fever dream about a homeschooled sci-fi nerd whose manuscript gets stolen by a pretentious novelist at a writers' convention. It's aggressively weird, visually inventive, deeply silly, and plays like someone remade Napoleon Dynamite on hallucinogens. For people who find Hess's sensibility hilarious rather than exhausting.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love awkward, oddball comedy where earnest young misfits take their made-up worlds very seriously, and you enjoy the same deadpan that made Napoleon Dynamite such a cult favorite.

Skip it if you want sharp, quick jokes; much of the humor is uncomfortable and built on cringe, and the fantasy threads feel thin and wandering.

What it asks of you: It runs under ninety minutes in a low, awkward register, so it asks for patience with silences and characters who are sad, sincere and a little pathetic.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Napoleon Dynamite2004

If you loved Gentlemen Broncos's deadpan weirdness and outsider-hero energy, this is where Jared Hess perfected the formula—socially awkward teenage protagonist, bizarre family, surreal comedy beats, and genuine heart underneath.

But It's been parodied to death, and the ultra-flat delivery can feel mannered or slow if that particular comedy frequency doesn't hit your ear.

The Brothers Solomon2007

Another comedy about misfits trying to navigate a world that doesn't understand them, with that same commitment to sincere weirdness and character-focused humor that makes Gentlemen Broncos tick.

But The quirk can feel forced, and the emotional payoff doesn't land for everyone—some find it treacly rather than touching.

Rubber2010

A killer tire terrorizing a town: pure absurdist cinema that treats its insane premise with absolute seriousness. If you appreciate Hess's commitment to strange visions, Quentin Dupieux's vision is even more unhinged.

But There's almost no plot, just escalating weirdness—some people find that liberating, others tedious.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gentlemen Broncos

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Synecdoche, New York2008

Both stage a protagonist's personal delusion as the film's entire landscape—their internal worlds become the set we inhabit.

Charlie Kaufman's meta-nightmare about a theater director creating a massive fictional world that collapses reality itself. Both films trap their heroes inside increasingly baroque fantasy worlds that mirror their inner lives—the connection is structural and philosophical, not just tonal.

But It's relentlessly bleak, three hours long, and demands active interpretation. Gentlemen Broncos has warmth; this has none.

The Lobster2015

Yorgos Lanthimos's surreal take on dating anxiety, where humans can be turned into animals. Same commitment to deadpan delivery of absurd premises, same weird empathy underneath the strangeness.

But It's colder and more deliberately alienating than Gentlemen Broncos, and the dark comedy lands harder than the warmth—not everyone wants that in their weirdness.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

A horror-comedy that flips its premise on its head, built on character likeability and unexpected sincerity. Shares that Hess-like ability to make you care about underdogs in strange situations.

But The premise twist is clever but the execution is fairly straightforward—it won't surprise you as much as Gentlemen Broncos does.

Wet Hot American Summer2001

Absurdist ensemble comedy with that same commitment to weird tangents and sincere oddball characters. David Wain shares Hess's ability to make you laugh while caring about these strange people.

But The humor is more referential and quick-cutting than Gentlemen Broncos's slower burns—different comedic muscle entirely.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping2016

Andy Samberg's mockumentary about a vapid pop star has that same gleeful commitment to satire with actual character heart. Funny people making fun of things they understand, which is the Hess approach.

But It relies heavily on cameos and music-industry in-jokes that can feel scattered if you're not invested in those specifics.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping poster

Safety Not Guaranteed2012

A quirky indie about time travel and loneliness that's got genuine heart alongside its weirdness, plus Aubrey Plaza being wonderful. Similar tonal balance of comedy and sincere emotion.

But The quirk is more indie-standard, less visually inventive than Gentlemen Broncos—feels safer overall.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

Taika Waititi's New Zealand road movie with an older man and a kid, balancing humor and genuine tenderness. Proves weird comedians can make you feel things without sentimentality.

But It's warmer and more conventionally appealing than Hess's work—if you want stranger, this softens things.

Everything Everywhere All at Once2022

Both films use genre sci-fi concepts to explore the interior lives of people struggling with how they're perceived or understood.

A multiverse action-comedy that treats cosmic sci-fi concepts with genuine human tenderness. Like Gentlemen Broncos, it's visually wild and formally inventive, but scales up to epic ambition while keeping its heart with ordinary people.

But It's frenetic and overwhelming rather than deadpan—the sensory overload is the point, which is almost the opposite of Hess's stillness.

Everything Everywhere All at Once poster

Kagemusha1980

Both are obsessed with impersonation as a philosophical problem—what happens to identity when you pretend hard enough?

Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic about a peasant impersonating a warlord, built on the gap between appearance and reality. Completely different era and culture, but the obsession with performance, identity, and the absurdity of impersonation is pure Gentlemen Broncos—just in feudal Japan.

But It's a three-hour period film in Japanese with subtitles, serious and formally rigorous. No comedy, no contemporary teenagers—nothing superficially similar.