REVIEW: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter

Josh Brolin is Buck Ferguson, a professional deer hunter with a show that highlights his travels across the globe as he hunts whitetail deer.  The movie starts off in the style of his television show, slightly poking some fun at the kind of character that he is, but not taking it into ridicule.  While the character of Buck Ferguson may be somewhat of a stereotype, he is our honest and sincere protagonist.  He is a good ole boy whose adventures are captured by his longtime friend and camera man, Don (Danny McBride).  The intention of his next outing is to bring his son Jaden (Montana Jordan) along and guide him in the hunt for Jaden's very first deer.

Before heading out on the hunt, Buck goes to pick up Jaden from his ex-wife's (Carrie Coon) house. She is now with Greg (Scoot McNairy), and it is evident that Buck feels threatened by this man who is now taking over the role of raising Jaden.  Greg's present to Jaden before he goes is an assault riffle, which led to one of my only moments of laughter in this movie.  For some reason, this is a world where giving a child of twelve military grade firearms is fine and dandy, and it was indeed a fun little joke.  However, the movie absolutely wastes the great talents of McNairy and Coon by doing little more with them.  I was really sad that these people were cast only to be seen for less than five minutes.

The pressure is on Buck to see this mission to get Jaden a deer succeed for multiple reasons.  First of all, he wants to pass down the love of hunting to his son.  Secondly, this is how Buck views Jaden transitioning into becoming a man.  Thirdly, this is a way to do something with Jaden that Greg won't do, and a way to try and reinsert himself as Jaden's father.

It is all noble, but the problem here is that the script (written by John Carcieri, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride) seems to miss great opportunities to really add some depth to the story.  Brolin is a champ and shows incredible dedication to the character of Ferguson, and it pays off in that we do like this person and want the best for him.  His flaws are quite apparent, but that doesn't matter.  Brolin works to make sure we have an attachment to him, and to wish the best for him.

Unfortunately, it really seems to be that Brolin is the only one really throwing himself completely into the film.  McBride is alright, but his character really wasn't written to be super deep.  I do like Danny McBride a lot, but it just wasn't much of a character for him to play.  Jaden, on the other hand, could sometimes be quite grating.  It may not be Montana Jordan's fault, but his voice feels like it could shatter adamantium at times.  I don't want to be too hard on child actors, but it felt to me like he was the weak link in this film.  Part of the problem was the character he was playing, a child who I didn't really care if he became a man or not.  Jordan is now found in the television show, Young Sheldon, and I hope it's a platform for him to learn more and grow.  I think there's something in him that could really work, but it wasn't harvested in The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter.

The locations used in this movie are well used, and director Jody Hill really does a solid job of bringing the audience into the hunting trip at times.  Hill also shows some talents at the end when the cast is traveling through white water on an inflatable mattress.  Half of the shots during that sequence felt well imagined, but the problem was the editing and the other half of the shots.  There is never enough time spent on any one shot to feel like the characters are actually there.  It keeps jumping to close ups, a technique that seems to scream that stunt doubles are used for the rest.  I can't fault Hill for not wanting to put young Jaden on a mattress in white water without a helmet, but there are other ways that the sequence could have unfolded to create a more intense viewing experience.

This is an alright movie, but it is one that is easily forgettable.  The script feels like the biggest misstep here, keeping me from really caring about anyone other than our loveable Buck Ferguson.  It's a Netflix original movie, and right now there is an independent movie on the platform that completely outshines this one.  Walking Out is a drama that has a similar plot of a divorced father wanting to impart the love of hunting on his young son.  It is beautifully shot, technically wonderful, and superbly acted.  If you're going to watch a father/son hunting movie on Netflix, don't watch the one I just spent forty five minutes writing about.  Watch Walking Out.

Rating - 2 out of 4 stars