Austin Film Festival Capsule Review: Baghdad Texas

What would you do if you had Saddam Hussein laid up in the shed behind your house? What would you ask him, and how would you imagine he'd answer? We can think of a handful of good questions right off the bat, so it's unfortunate that the characters in Baghdad Texas can't think of anything to ask one of the world's most famous dictators in the middle of the Iraq War.

The three "cowboys" (ranch hands is more apt), an FBI agent, Saddam and his caretaker all have a lot of time on screen and lots to do with it, but the film's not as focused as we'd like. There's no deficit of decent ideas, but it somehow drifts from focusing any of them on the cowboys/Saddam conflict. Instead it becomes a situational comedy about how to earn money while turning the dictator in, often sliding lazily into stereotype.

Despite these and other shortcomings we really enjoy seeing Texas on film as, truthfully, our state is still underrepresented on-screen. It's also nice to see very Texas-centric writing and attitudes, like a gang of clueless and obnoxious "Houston" lawyers coming to hunt on the ranch. It was a nice change, too, to see Texas on film in the winter, with its dormant, scruffy trees and a white overcast sky.

So, Texas film fans, despair not, and check it out if you're intrigued, as there are more than a few good laughs. But for us it's another decent local film that doesn't quite make the cut. A great film does not spring out of a clever idea, and so Baghdad Texas reminds us that very good films are hard to make.

Baghdad Texas is part of the Austin Screens category at the Austin Film Festival, and plays a final time tonight at 7 p.m. at the Arbor Cinema. You can find the final night's schedule here.