'LaRoy, Texas' Review An Entertaining Diet 'Fargo'

The Big Picture

• Despite lacking originality, LaRoy, Texas is sheer entertainment, leaning into Fargo -inspired themes.
• Steve Zahn shines in a career-best performance, elevating the film alongside John Magaro.
• While certain elements feel underdeveloped, LaRoy, Texas maintains a consistent tone and engaging plot.

Without question, Joel & Ethan Coen’s Fargo has become one of the most influential films since it first debuted in 1996. Since then, not only has the film launched an Emmy-winning anthology series, but there have been countless movies that have taken influence from the dark comedy classic. Even in the last decade, movies such as Cold Pursuit, Cut Bank, and Arkansas have tried to emulate that perfect blend of humor, crime, and misery, to varying levels of success.

Shane Atkinson’s feature debut as director, LaRoy, Texas, falls into this category. The film features an ensemble of quirky and shady characters speaking in Texan accents who are all unwillingly roped into an unusual murder mystery. John Magaro, Steve Zahn, and Dylan Baker lead a cast of stellar character actors in a film that winds up being one of the better Fargo-adjacent movies we’ve gotten in some time.

LaRoy, Texas

When Ray discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he decides he's going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman.

What Is 'LaRoy, Texas' About?

Ray (Magaro) is depressed. His wife, the former Pageant queen Stacy-Lynn (Megan Stevenson), is cheating on him, his older brother Junior (Matthew Del Negro) is constantly emasculating him, and he works a dead-end job at a struggling hardware store that pays him very little. He’s also being followed around by the well-intentioned Skip (Zahn), a wannabe detective who wants to help him, despite having never been asked.

It’s gotten to a point where Ray decides that he wants to take his own life, but in the middle of his attempt, a stranger enters his car, having mistaken him for a dangerous hitman, asking him to kill a local lawyer named James Barlow (Vic Browder). Ray reluctantly takes the large sum of money from the man, never intending to pull off the hit. That is until James confronts him one night, and in an act of desperation, Ray shoots and kills him.

Knowing his options are limited, Ray seeks Skip’s help to assist him in getting out of his unusual predicament. Little does he know, the real hitman, Harry (Baker), is hot on his trail, and will do anything to take back the money that was originally owed to him.

What 'LaRoy, Texas' Lacks in Originality, It Makes Up in Sheer Entertainment

If you’ve seen one of these Fargo-influenced movies, you’ve seen them all. However, the clear abundance of passion and commitment both behind and in front of the camera leads LaRoy, Texas to be a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining two hours. Atkinson’s direction hints that the filmmaker was fully aware of all the comparisons that were bound to happen, and the movie embraces it. It’s less a Fargo knockoff and more like a love letter to it, with shades of No Country for Old Men thrown in for good measure.

Despite the continuous stream of actors who pop in and out of the film, Atkinson still maintains the focus on the central characters, leading the movie to flow at a satisfying pace. Many movies of this ilk have a unique tone to them that is incredibly hard to pull off effectively. Everything in LaRoy, Texas feels natural, even as the situations the characters find themselves in become more and more outlandish. There are never moments that feel jarring or out-of-place, and even as the plot becomes more and more grim, the movie never tries to become something that it's not.

Certain elements of the plot do end up feeling more underdeveloped than one might hope for. Outside Magaro and Zahn’s characters, most of the inhabitants of the titular town feel almost too shallow and caricature-like, and the conflicts presented are often resolved in ways that feel unsatisfactory. Baker’s antagonistic Harry will often pop in and out of the movie, and more often than not, the looming threat of his wrath feels secondary, when it’s supposed to be the movie’s equivalent to Anton Chigurh. Regardless, Magaro and Zahn’s madcap descent into the criminal underworld never fails to entertain, leading to a surprisingly quiet but satisfying finale.

Steve Zahn Gives One of the Best Performances of His Career in 'LaRoy, Texas'

A decade ago, Zahn was likely most known for his roles in comedies such as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies or Saving Silverman, but in the past few years, it feels like he’s finally receiving the credit he’s long deserved. After his memorable turns in The White Lotus Season 1 and The Righteous Gemstones Season 3, Zahn delivers one of the best performances of his career as the happy-go-lucky detective Skip.

At the start of the movie, Zahn plays Skip like a dolt. He’s a private investigator without a license who doesn’t even know how to spell “detective.” Yet as the movie progresses, Zahn brings much more depth to the character. Sure, he’s an idiot, and many of the things he does more than warrant a side-eye, but out of all the other citizens in the small southern town, he likely has the least number of skeletons in his closet. It’s easy to care for him and the dynamic chemistry he shares with Magaro delivers the film’s best laughs.

Magaro already doesn’t look like your typical Texan, but he uses that stigma to his benefit. Despite his accent, Ray feels like a fish out of water, and much like the audience, he's even questioning his connections to his own family. Ray isn’t supposed to be charming or likable. That’s not to say he’s a bad person, but Magaro successfully portrays his character as nothing more than a normal guy who just got dealt a bad hand in life.

While Baker’s assassin character could have been expanded, he still takes advantage of every single moment he’s on-screen. He’s awkward, intimidating, and just plain creepy. Despite the shallow nature of her character, Stevenson also seems to have a full grasp on her bratty character and has the perfect kind of mismatched chemistry with Magaro that the script demands.

Atkinson shows a lot of promise in his debut feature, and it’ll be fascinating to see what he does next and if he’ll carry over the Coen Brothers' influences. LaRoy, Texas won’t go down as an all-time great crime comedy, but that’s not what the movie was set out for either. It’s the very definition of a pleasant surprise, the kind of movie you don’t expect much out of, but you end up getting way more than you anticipated.

LaRoy, Texas

What 'LaRoy, Texas' may lack in orginality, it makes up for in sheer entertainment with Steve Zahn giving a career-best performance.

• Steve Zahn and John Magaro both shine in their roles with the former giving one of his best performances to date.
• For as many characters are there are, the plot of LaRoy, Texas never feels convoluted.
• LaRoy, Texas never loses touch with its specific tone, letting scenes play out naturally.

• Dylan Baker's villainous hitman Harry feels underutilized and his presence isn't felt much until the finale.

LaRoy, Texas is now in theaters and is available to stream on VOD in the U.S.

WATCH ON VOD

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