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# REVIEW BY TAYLOR V A NARS DALE NEWRELEASES Take a trip to ‘Weirdsville’
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/r-e-v-i-e-w-b-y-t-a-y-l-o-r-v-a-n-a-r-s-d-a-l-e-newreleases-take-a-trip-to-weirdsville/
- Published: 2007-10-19T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T03:32:23.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

As I flipped through the “Weirdsville” press kit and read the producer’s quotes, “We’re embracing an unpolished look... out of focus shots, some odd framing and compositions,” my first thought was, They must have seriously botched the hell out of this and couldn’t fix it in post production! But as the lights dimmed and I braced for what I thought might be yet another precious indie film run amok — instead I found myself intensely drawn into the unconventional twisted world director Allan Moyle creates; wholly absorbed in the deft artistry that is “Weirdsville.”

Though the subject matter is dark, with drug overtones, the story fundamentally explores the friendship between hapless duo, Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) his dim-witted sidekick. Mistakenly assuming their friend Mattie (Taryn Manning) has died of a drug overdose; figuring the police may connect them to the crime, the two opt to bury her in the basement of a ramshackle drive-in theater (you have to love any film where the lead characters are faced with the prospect of hiding a corpse in the first act).

Throw in an irate drug dealer, a devil worshipping ceremony gone awry, the lure of easy money, a car full of “little people,” and the weird night is just beginning.

Speedman, with his good looks and “Everyman” appeal, is perfect as the faltering, lapsed addict, trying to make good on a debt to a local drug kingpin, save the girl and keep everyone happy … and alive. He delivers a convincing performance as the junkie on a hero’s mission.

And kudos to director Allan Moyle for likening Dexter’s drug-induced state to a shoeless ice-skater gliding down a deserted snowy street, juxtaposing it against the reality of the situation — which is that he is face down in a piss-puddle in a grimy alley. The ironic scene is a stroke of genius, depicting the simultaneous allure and revulsion of heroin use in such a graceful way that you’ll not only understand Speedman’s character, you’ll root for him, too.

Bentley (“American Beauty”) is superb; his comic timing is impeccable and he aptly delivers, and Manning (“Hustle and Flow”) is heroin-chic at its finest.

I had the great pleasure of speaking with director Moyle (“Pump Up the Volume”). To describe this gifted artist as humble would be an understatement. When I tell him how much I love his film, he’s quick to point out it’s not really “his” film, but the writer’s, and simply says, “The universe was smiling on me, giving me permission to sweetly stand by while the whole thing evolved around me.” This is a director who truly understands the collaborative process.

Married to a Buddhist, and having experienced more than his fair share of acid trips, has allowed Moyle to become more “guru” than director. “It’s easier to cast a film and surrender it, than try and control it,” he tells me, explaining that actors don’t like to be directed. Whatever he “didn’t” do, he “did it” right. As we wrap up, Moyle shares with me his secret for success on the set and in life saying, “The best tool a director has is joy.” In watching the film it’s easy to imagine the fun the cast and crew must have had.

Weirdsville may well be the runaway clever cult hit of the winter season. Not only does it live up to its artistic promises, it surpasses them. Be a weirdo — go see it!

TAYLOR VAN ARSDALE is a writer/producer and movie reviewer for the Daily Press. She can be reached at Tailfish@roadrunner.com

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/101907-21_01.jpg)

HIGH TIMES: Scott Speedman (left) and Wes Bentley star as a pair of dope fiends caught in an unusual predicament in ‘Weirdsville.” (Photo: Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 19, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101907.pdf?ref=smdp.com)