Normal Can’t Keep Its Weird Little Town—or Plot—Together

Normal

★ ★

Normal stars Bob Odenkirk as small-town sheriff Ulysses Richardson, who temporarily fills the role after the sheriff of Normal, Minn., dies. It’s an action-adventure film that attempts to contrast an absurdly normal, friendly town with Pulp Fiction-type secrets that drive the story toward chaotic violence.

Ulysses is just settling into the town as the film starts, taking the lead over his deputies with a cautious approach. Lead, but don’t rock the boat. It’s an approach his deputies seem to appreciate. He polices with compassion too, favoring a “park better” note written on a parking ticket instead of a monetary fine. It earns him an “I like how you police, man,” from one of the citizens.

Bob Odenkirk as Sheriff Ulysses Richardson
© 2026 Magnolia Pictures

We like Ulysses almost immediately, if only because Odenkirk is so damned likable, even as a shyster lawyer in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Here, his character carries a quiet resolve and lingering PTSD from a shooting that left its mark on both his career and conscience. The quiet town of Normal is his chance to sort things out.

Of course, the town of Normal is about to reveal deep secrets involving a corrupt township and Japan’s organized crime syndicate, the yakuza. It’s an interesting premise, and I wonder if one of the writers wasn’t having a latte in a small-town coffee shop somewhere in the Midwest, wondering what would happen if gangsters secretly controlled the town.

Welcome to Normal
© 2026 Magnolia Pictures

There are two sides to this film. One promises a quiet, slow burn, with great characters revealing their kitschy zaniness as the bizarre world around them gradually comes into focus. The other side is a no-holds-barred action extravaganza in which everyone is trying to kill the new sheriff.

In this film, the two sides blend together as well as oil and water. The story quickly flips the switch from an interesting character study within bizarre small-town dynamics to tossing dynamite from the local hardware store onto Main Street with reckless abandon. It’s done so fast and haphazardly that it takes us a moment to adjust to the change in pace. And the film never settles back into a good rhythm.

A yarn shop with a police scanner
© 2026 Magnolia Pictures

It’s a shame, because the movie is entertaining, even as it dives into the nonsensical. Most of that entertainment falls squarely on Odenkirk’s shoulders. Even though his acting skills are grossly underused, he still manages to prove why he has the makings of a bankable movie star.

There’s also a sense that Hollywood is trying to typecast Odenkirk in roles like this. Ulysses is a touch too close to Hutch in the massively fun Nobody and its capable-but-less-fun sequel, Nobody 2. Some of us might remember that Liam Neeson once starred as Oscar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning Schindler’s List. Neeson has played countless action heroes since the original Taken. Most of them blur together.

The same can be said for Jason Statham after The Transporter. He’s played the same role under different character names and film titles countless times.

Hopefully, Odenkirk can avoid this typecast trap. And while I know this is a review of Normal, when the film switched to guns-blazing mode, it’s all I could think about.

Lena Headey as Moira
© 2026 Magnolia Pictures

Normal starts with a plot that promises to give up its secrets over time. Unfortunately, that promise is traded for an action film that abandons intrigue for mindless violence. It plays like two films that never connect.

Even though Normal doesn’t go anywhere interesting, it’s still sort of fun to watch stuff blow up and see a good actor light the fuse. That’s just barely enough to keep you from checking your watch while trying to remember the runtime.