“Bucking Fastard” is a comedy about a man who wakes up on a farm after being struck by lightning, and discovers he can talk to animals. That setup sounds simple. It isn’t.
The film stars Steve Carell as the titular Bucking Fastard, a mild-mannered accountant who gets hit by a bolt of lightning while out for a walk. The strike gives him the power to understand and speak with animals, which leads him to bond with a horse named Lenny. The premise is a classic screwball setup, and the film leans into it with jokes about communication breakdowns, literal misunderstandings, and the sheer absurdity of a talking animal world.
What follows is a film that spends more time on the idea of communication than on the comedy. The film is less interested in making you laugh than in making you think about how we talk to each other.
Trailer, via HanWay Films.
Carell’s Performance
Steve Carell carries the film. His Bucking Fastard is a man who is genuinely bewildered by his new ability, and Carell plays that confusion with a mix of panic and wonder. He doesn’t play the role as a buffoon; he plays it as a man who has won a strange lottery and doesn’t know what to do with the ticket.
Carell’s physical comedy is also strong. There are scenes where he tries to explain his new gift to others, and the frustration in his face sells the humor better than any punchline could. The film knows that the best jokes come from the look on his face when he realizes nobody believes him.
The supporting cast is solid but underused. The horse Lenny, voiced by a comedian, is the standout. His deadpan reactions to Bucking Fastard’s human folly provide some of the film’s funniest moments. The chemistry between the two is genuine, and it’s easy to see why Bucking Fastard becomes attached to Lenny.
“The best jokes come from the look on his face.”
The Horse’s Perspective
Lenny is the heart of the film. He is patient, wise, and fundamentally kind, even when Bucking Fastard is at his most clueless. Their relationship is the emotional core of the movie, and it’s handled with surprising depth. The film treats Lenny’s perspective seriously, which is a rare thing in comedies about talking animals.
The film also uses Lenny’s presence to comment on Bucking Fastard’s own life. Through Lenny’s eyes, Bucking Fastard sees himself as a stranger, and that distance is both funny and touching. It’s a clever way to make the audience reconsider what they thought they knew about the main character.
Comedy vs. Commentary
The film is clearly trying to do two things at once: be a silly comedy and make a point about communication. The problem is that these two goals often conflict. The jokes that land hardest are the ones that don’t try to be clever, and the ones that try to be clever often fall flat.
There are sequences where the film slows down to let its message breathe, and those stretches are where the film loses momentum. The commentary is earnest, but it doesn’t always match the tone of the jokes around it. The result is a film that feels torn between being a fun summer comedy and a thoughtful meditation on connection.
Plot Structure
The film follows a standard three-act structure, but the pacing suffers from repetition. The middle act drags, with Bucking Fastard repeating his attempts to explain his gift to various people, each ending in the same kind of misunderstanding. The film seems unsure whether it wants to move forward or circle back to the same joke.
The climax, which involves Bucking Fastard finally finding a way to share his secret with the world, is a decent payoff. It brings together the themes of the film, but it doesn’t quite feel earned. The setup is there, but the execution is rushed, leaving the resolution feeling more like a formality than a satisfying conclusion.
Technical Craft
The film is competently made, with decent production values and a sharp visual sense. The farm locations are well shot, and the animal characters are expressive enough to carry their scenes. The lighting is warm and natural, giving the film a lived-in feel.
The sound design is notable. The film uses a lot of ambient noise, from the rustling of grass to the distant calls of birds, and it uses these sounds to create a sense of immersion. When Bucking Fastard speaks to an animal, the film cuts the background noise entirely, leaving only the conversation between the two. This creates a moment of intimacy that is effective, even when the dialogue isn’t.
The editing is serviceable but not distinctive. The film doesn’t take risks with its cutting, and the rhythm of the scenes stays consistent throughout. This consistency means the film never surprises you, which is a problem for a comedy that relies on timing.
Music and Sound
The score is pleasant but forgettable. It does its job, providing a light, whimsical backdrop that doesn’t overwhelm the dialogue, but it doesn’t add anything memorable either. The music swells at the right moments, but it never becomes a character in its own right.
The sound design, on the other hand, is a strength. The film uses silence effectively, especially during the scenes where Bucking Fastard and Lenny communicate privately. These moments are the film’s best, and the sound design deserves credit for creating a space where the audience can fully inhabit the characters’ world.
Final Word
“Bucking Fastard” is a mixed bag. It has a strong lead performance, a winning animal companion, and a premise that could support a sharper, funnier film. What it lacks is a clear sense of purpose. The film wants to be both a silly comedy and a commentary on communication, and it never quite commits to either.
The film is watchable, but it’s not essential viewing. It’s the kind of movie you might recommend to a friend, but you wouldn’t rush to see it again. The jokes land occasionally, and the performances carry the weaker stretches, but the overall effect is uneven.
