Vernon, Florida

Vernon, Florida

Vernon, Florida

This is a truly wonderful and entertaining documentary. I only wish it were longer. 60 minutes was not enough. Although some may feel that this film makes fun of the rural Florida senior citizens, I found it charming. It reminded me of my grandparents' stories of rural Minnesota and North Dakota. The turkey hunter is especially good. I only wish I had such a passsion for a hobby.

Vernon, Florida is far and away the most creative documentary i have ever seen. Errol Morris manages to let the people do the talking and doesn't get involved at all, so what you see is what you get, no silly people asking questions or prying for details. where else can you see a preacher do a 10 minute sermon on the word "therefore"? only one place, Vernon,FL. This film is getting more and more difficult to find, if anyone out there knows how I can obtain a copy of this classic, please write me at craiggae@excite.com

Ever been on a train or in a bar or at a party where some socially retarded person corners you into listening to some pointless, rambling monologue about their job, their hobby or their relationship with their parents? That's exactly what this movie feels like. Back in the early 80s Errol Morris, the guy who made "The Thin Blue Line", went to the little podunk town of Vernon, Florida and filmed various residents flapping their gums about whatever they felt like talking about. Not surprisingly the movie is an excruciatingly boring viewing experience. It's only 55 minutes long but it feels like about five hours. It's considered kind of a cult classic but damned if I know why. It's seriously one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen.

Vernon, Florida (1981) *** (out of 4) Errol Morris' second features takes a look at some of the strange folks living in Vernon, Florida. From what I've read originally Morris went to this town due to its high insurance fraud rate but once there he decided to put his camera on the people. We meet people including a turkey hunter who does nothing but talk turkey (wonder if the shrimp from FORREST GUMP was inspired by this guy), an old man and his "pets," a policeman who sits and waits for speeders while then admitting he doesn't have his radar gun because it's at the shop and several other locales. I'd read several reviews that attacked this movie for being mean-spirited but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Something like GREY GARDENS had me questioning if the only reason the filmmakers were filming the subject were to show how crazy they were. Morris here doesn't fall into the same feeling. I thought going into the picture that it was going to be exploiting this somewhat backwoods folks but that wasn't the case at all. It really does seem as if Morris is interested in what these people have to say about their passions and just lets them go on talking. This is especially true for the turkey hunter who goes through just about every avenue in regards to hunting. I can't say I've ever hunted a turkey but after listening to this guy I really do believe I could go out and do it on my own and know what I was doing. Even the old man with his pets gets confused about what he's talking about but not once did I ever get the impression that Morris was laughing at him or showing the old man to embarrass him. Perhaps others will see this differently but I found the stories here to be entertaining and they kept me involved, although I will admit I'm not sure why they did.

For historical reasons, I can understand this film. It documents a way of life and people that are very unique and a dying breed. So the film has SOME value. However, as far as entertainment goes, I think this is one of the dullest and least interesting films ever made. Errol Morris seemed to pick the most boring old coots in a small Florida Panhandle town and just let them ramble and ramble about mostly uninteresting hobbies and passions. We are 'treated' to a very, very dull guy talking about his turkey hunting experiences (his MANY, MANY, MANY experiences), a guy talking about raising worms (and he didn't even show us any!), an old guy showing off his possum, the world's dullest minister (I mean no disrespect, but he was just terrible--at least on this particular day as he talked on and on and on about the word 'therefore'!!!) and other such completely dry as I was listening to their dull and pointless rambling. I'm sure they are nice people but still, who cares about their dull lives--at least the way they were presented here?! I like fishing, but I think if I spend 30 minutes showing off my fishing lures, it, too, would bore practically everyone to death. So why, oh why, would you want to watch someone talking about their hobbies that have no interest to practically anyone else?! Amazingly, there are some who found this film funny or interesting. I don't. However, despite this being a terrible film, I DO recommend you try watching some of the film maker's other films--such as "Mr. Death" and "Fast, Cheap & Out of Control". As Morris worked on more and more films, he was able to take seemingly ordinary films and put together interesting vignettes about them--here, however, he hasn't yet learned this fine art and the people just seem like dullards--which, given editing and proper direction, they might NOT have been. Unless you are a die-hard Morris groupie, find some other documentary--ANY other documentary to watch!

Errol Morris went to Vernon, Fla because it had a reputation for excessive insurance claims due to missing limbs. Known as "Stump City," Vernon turned out to be much more--a place seemingly filled with odd characters. Morris spent a year there, gaining the locals' confidence and doing interviews that are priceless. I can't recommend this too much. I was passing through Florida three years ago and saw a turnoff to Vernon. I went there anticipating the same characters would be hanging out at the gas station watching someone change a tire...then I realized that it was filmed 20 years earlier, and most may have passed away. I shot photos and went on my way. Trust me, Vernon, Florida is a classic.

Everyone knows Errol Morris from The Thin Blue Line and A Brief History of Time but Vernon, Florida really is his most raw and most intriguing film. He lets the viewer get a real complete view of his interviewees and it's just fabulous.