[HorrorScience] My Name is Bruce (2007)

There was a time when it seemed that some actors known to the general public but ignored by critics (and by the public) decided to make films reflective of themselves, the most popular being JCVD (2008) starring and centered on himself Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Another similar movie is My Name is Bruce (2007) starring and centered on Bruce Campbell, an actor known for his participation in the trilogy Evil Dead, as well as for his numerous roles in television series (Xena, Jack of all trades) and his cameos in films more famous than his, such as the trilogy of Spider-man by Sam Raimi.

In a mining town in the United States, some boys break into a cemetery and awaken an Asian spirit who kills all but one of them, who flees in terror in search of help.

At the same time, Bruce Campbell is filming his umpteenth low-budget horror film. The actor feels finished, his personal life is a disaster (because of him) and his professional life is not going much better (he hates the films he makes and only gets offers for their sequels) and the imminent arrival of his birthday makes him feel even more of a failure. His manager promised him to do something special for his birthday, but nothing seems to cheer up the veteran actor.

That same night, a boy comes to Campbell's house and asks him to go to his town, to which (obviously) Bruce objects, so he ends up being kidnapped by the boy.

After getting out of the trunk of the car and making a scene, Bruce listens to the story of the townspeople, who tell him that years ago, some Chinese immigrants died in a nearby mine and that this awakened the evil Guan Di, an all-powerful and lethal spirit, who now walks free. Given this very particular story, Bruce believes he is facing a kind of stage show prepared by his manager., so he plays his role as a star and enjoys every minute he spends in the town, where he is welcomed like a superhero but... What will happen when they make him face Guan Di?

My name is Bruce It is a case in which it is criticized and honored at the same time. Campbell is shown as a failed actor who will never reach the top, who treats his fans only so well and his colleagues not very well, and who only seems to make a slight effort to try to seduce the girl on duty.

At the same time, he is shown as someone who has hit rock bottom, who has been mistreated by the industry in which he works but intends to improve (without really knowing how), who conquers his professional and personal fears and who deep down is not a bad guy, despite acting like a real asshole.

The Bruce Campbell we see in this movie seems to be a reflection of how many of us imagine Campbell in reality and that's what makes it funny to see him be an asshole. He doesn't stop talking, making comparisons with movies and actors, and thinks he's smarter than everyone, making some moments of the movie tremendously funny.

The film itself strictly follows the laws of ordinary horror films, as Bruce himself comments at the end, although the perspective of trying to make it happen for real and the actor doesn't believe it gives it a quite original touch.

My name is Bruce is not a continuation of Evil Dead, but it has very similar moments. It is not a horror film, but it represents a horror film and it is not a humor film but that is precisely its strong point, so we are faced with a product that you either hate or love (surely as happens with Campbell himself).

Curiosities about the film:

• Several actors who have worked with Campbell in the saga Evil Dead They reappear in this film, some even say the role they played.
• Ted Raimi (Sam Raimi's brother and Campbell's friend) plays three roles in the film: the manager, the painter and the old Chinese man.
• Bruce Campbell showed clips from this film before its release. When a full pass was finally made, the innings were gone in less than 10 minutes.
• A sequel to this film called My name is Still Bruce, which was later named Bruce VS Frankenstein, the film was going to be directed by Campbell himself (since, in his words, “no one volunteered”) and would feature Ted Raimi. To this day, said sequel does not exist, it is more than possible that it was just a joke and they did not consider making it seriously.
• Dark Horse published comics My Name is Bruce.