Aaron Ploof
There comes a point in an actor’s career when that star becomes well known for a certain type of character. For Keanu Reeves, that’s the movie action star. For Adam Sandler, it’s the man-child. And for Bob Odenkirk, it’s the aging, dry humor-fueled, kick-ass, badass. After his turn in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Odenkirk has been starring in films like Nobody (2021). His latest, Normal (2025), is just a return to that formula. It’s a repeat of the same tropes that were established in Nobody and John Wick. This is because it has the same creative team. Unfortunately, they haven’t invested much in shaking it up. As a result, Normal feels like the same old, same old.
In Normal, Bob Odenkirk plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff for the town of Normal, and it seems to live up to its namesake in most ways. However, the town has raised an extraordinary amount of money for one of its fundraisers. Ulysses also notices a few odd things here and there. For example, there is an overabundance of loaded guns on the wall of the bar and an overstocked armory. Still, nothing raises his suspicions too much.
Trying to fit in, he makes friends with the locals. There’s Moira (Lena Heady), a local bartender who shares some similarities with Ulysses. There’s also Mike Nelson (Billy MacLellan), his deputy, who has a uniform that makes obnoxious sounds whenever he moves. The lady at the local yarn shop seems friendly enough. In addition, Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler) wants him to permanently take up station. While this would be easy (the town’s various problems aren’t on the difficult side), Ulysses plans on moving on after a bit.
He’s filling in as sheriff because the previous one died under strange circumstances. But, once again, this doesn’t alarm Ulysses. The former sheriff’s daughter, Alex (Jess McLeod), is, of course, depressed, and Ulysses helps out. After giving her a cell to sleep in, things turn sideways when a robbery occurs at the local bank. Ulysses discovers that the vault contains an enormous amount of gold. He is suddenly clued into the fact that the town is up to no good when they try to kill him. Now, Ulysses, along with the robbers, Lori (Reena Jolly) and Keith (Brendan Fletcher), must evade death and bring justice to the townsfolk. Oh, and they may also have to deal with the Yakuza.
On the positive side, the action in the film is well-choreographed, especially during a fast-paced sequence at the end that I would hate to spoil. Like in Nobody, anything and everything that Ulysses has access to becomes a weapon, and he improvises just as if he were John Wick himself. If you’re coming to the film mostly for the action, you’ll get plentiful servings.
Yet, while the movie succeeds with badass violence, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table with its story or its characters. Odenkirk plays pretty much the same guy he played in Nobody. He makes the same sarcastic jokes and quips while doling out punishment against the bad guys. His arc reflects that of his role as Hutch Mansell as well. He finally starts to care about the world outside of himself once things get hairy. The plot does have a moment that will surely delight. However, it’s mostly action as usual. Except for that one surprise in the finale, there are not many twists or turns. This results in the film feeling fairly stale from that specific standpoint.
From a thematic view, the film focuses once again on caring about people and circumstances once life has hit you hard. Ulysses shares some of his past with Moira concerning nightmares he frequently has. He also shares what led to a separation from his wife. As the film progresses, he’s able to come to terms with his demons and embrace meaning once again.
If you’re seeking action and more films like Nobody and John Wick, then Normal will not disappoint. However, if you’d like a somewhat different twist on the formula, then there won’t be enough here to satisfy you. Bob Odenkirk seems to have found his niche, as the reception for Normal seems to be relatively positive. Still, it’d be nice to see him branch out into something slightly different for his next project.
