Cinema Scholars interviews LaRoy, Texas director Shane Atkinson, and lead actor John Magaro. Brainstorm Media is releasing the dark comedy in theaters and On Demand on April 12, 2024.
Introduction
There’s just something about small-town crime capers that is so compelling. The combination of rural drama paired with quirky homegrown characters just hits differently than any big-city counterparts. Plus, the offbeat nature of the back-country context often lends itself to a lighter vibe, even when the story gets seriously bleak. There’s a reason they call it dark comedy.
It’s the kind of humor that makes you scan the room for reactions before you lol yourself. To tread successfully in such tricky territory is no small feat. When executed well, this so-wrong-its-right style of storytelling is uniquely satisfying.
Enter writer/director Shane Atkinson and his new podunk crime yarn LaRoy, Texas. In the great tradition of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, or Todd Solondz, Atkinson crafts a twisted tale of scheming and misdeeds by a cast of colorful locals each with their dubious agendas.
Ray (John Magaro) is a downtrodden owner/manager of a hardware store in the modest town of LaRoy, TX. Questions about his wife’s fidelity lead to a cascade of unfortunate events landing Ray in a dangerously sticky situation with a hitman (Dylan Baker). As he and his wannabe P.I. buddy Skip (Steve Zahn) investigate the trail of clues leading up to his predicament, a tale of juicy rural intrigue slowly unfolds.
Analysis
With a smartly structured story and a list of curious characters, Atkinson gradually lays out each piece of the puzzle with dark wit and wry humor. The writer/director leans into the small-town aesthetic and lack of anonymity in a place where everyone knows everyone. This further serves to crystallize Ray’s desperation in the impossible situation. Atkinson also keeps the style of the film very straightforward, allowing for Ray’s revelations to be the focal point as the plot thickens in due time.
John Magaro painfully exudes his character’s defeated demeanor with a nearly constant sad sack posture and perma frown. Though Ray eventually gains a degree of swagger, Magaro is sure to never betray his character’s prevailing tragic disposition.
As Skip, Steve Zahn’s performance offers some desperately needed levity throughout the film. While Skip is mostly problematic, Zahn’s take on the affable troublemaker offers humor as well as the main emotional connection of the film.
Special points go to Dylan Baker as the terrifically sadistic hired gun. No novice in the unnerving humor department (see above Solandz reference), Baker’s casually demented take on the film’s baddie feels as ironic as it is terrifying.
Other notables include Matthew Del Negro as Ray’s obnoxious alpha brother, Junior. Plus Megan Stevenson as Ray’s wife/shallow ex-beauty queen, Stacy-Lynn. Both actors plant their characters firmly in the love-to-hate category with hilariously conceited portrayals. Various other personalities such as a philandering used-car salesman, Junior’s scorned wife, as well as a pair of bumbling cops round out an ensemble of curious players.
As the story progresses, it’s impossible not to be frustrated with Ray’s inability to move past his failing marriage and lack of confidence. Yet, these character flaws are what ultimately make Ray so relatable. While the film stays true to its dark sensibilities to the bitter end, Ray’s supposed redemption is as questionable as his initial resolve. No shiny red bow to wrap things up in LaRoy, Texas. Instead, Atkinson opts for more of a gnarled black knot for the conclusion of his feature directorial debut, leaving a strange sense of satisfying melancholy as the credits roll.
Cinema Scholars’ Rebecca Elliott recently had the opportunity to chat with both LaRoy, Texas writer/director Shane Atkinson as well as star and producer John Magaro. The trio discusses balancing the dark and light moments, capturing the small-town vibe, and casting the perfect psychopath.
Interview
Rebecca Elliott:
Thank you so much for chatting with me today about LaRoy, Texas. It was a really great, dark film. I really enjoyed it. Shane, I want to ask you first. You’ve written a ton of movies, and you’ve also directed some shorts. But this is your first feature to direct, I believe. I’m sure you have a ton of stories rolling around in your head as a writer. How did you land on this story? Why was LaRoy, Texas the one?
Shane Atkinson:
I spent a long time making short films and wanting to make a feature. It’s a challenge to get something financed, especially quirky dark comedies that I’m interested in. I just tried to write something that was my sense of humor that I was excited about, that interested me, that I wanted to see. But I also tried to write something that maybe wasn’t too crazy budget-wise that we could pull off. I think I also just was really aware and concerned with trying to write interesting parts.
To do that drama-comedy blend is something that is just so performance-dependent. I knew we needed really great actors, so I tried to write something that would maybe get the attention of a John Magaro or, a Steve Zahn. And so trying to write something that would attract some talent like that was something that I thought about a lot, too.
Rebecca Elliott:
Well, mission accomplished. John, on the same track, you’re a prolific actor. Including one of my husband’s favorite movies of all time, The Big Short. But tell me how this project came together for you, especially as a first-time producer as well. How did you balance performing and producing? Because you’re in nearly every frame of this thing. So how did it come about, and how did you strike a balance?
John Magaro:
It came about… I was sent a script. My agents or manager sent me a script, and they said, “Take a look at this.” I read it and I fell in love right away. It was so well written. In fact, not a lot changed from what was on the page then to what we say and do in the actual film that you see. I loved it because it reminded me of films that I loved.
It had bits of Coen Brothers and Old Westerns and hard-boiled film noir and all that stuff. It’s also something that I hadn’t really done before. I love that as an actor. The challenge and especially to get to do something you haven’t done before. But also in an arena and a type of story that you also love. I was really excited, and I really wanted to be a part of it. Shane and I talked, and then we decided to do it.
Now, it took a while from there to actually get it going because this was also during COVID. Everything was changing and we needed money. Then as a producer, you can put your name on something. But where I feel like I had to earn my stripes was on set. Because an indie film is tough. It’s scrappy. There’s not a lot of money. With any film, you run into issues. As a producer, you have to solve problems. So I couldn’t just sit back as an actor and be like, “Someone else will do it.” I had to start to do the two things at once.
But I really enjoy producing, and I think I’ll continue to do it. I don’t know if I would play a lead in a film and also be a producer, or actually have to physically do things at the same time. That is hard, but it keeps you on your toes. And like I said, I really cared about this project. I really thought it was something cool and special, and I wanted to do anything I could to help get it to the screen and get it to audiences to see.
Rebecca Elliott:
Shane, I’ll shoot it back to you. As a small-town Oklahoma girl myself, and now a Texan, I loved the vibe that you created in this film. I guess small towns are stuck in a time warp to a certain degree, which also lends a timeless element to the story. But why Texas?
Shane Atkinson:
Thank you. I have a lot of family in small towns around the West, in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. And I just think they’re really interesting places. I like with a small town, what you can do. You don’t need too much to have some drama in a small town. Somebody’s reputation in a small town is very important in a way that it doesn’t really matter in a town like Los Angeles or New York or something like that.
A little bit of money gets a lot of attention and could cause a lot of trouble in a small town. I like working in small towns narratively because I feel like you can do so much with so little and really just focus on the characters.
But I love Texas. West Texas in particular. I wish we could have shot there. The DP and I spent a couple of days there just driving around a lot of the landscapes and storefronts that you see were shot in Texas. I just love that world. The signage, the architecture, the landscape, fashion. It’s really wonderful and interesting. We got as much of that as we could in the time that we had. Then for various budgetary reasons, we shot across the border of New Mexico and did our best to try to match that as well as we could.
But I also like the harsh landscape. Many of them are past their prime and past their heyday. I didn’t want it to be a place that felt like it had a lot of opportunity. These characters could just pick up and go. I wanted to feel like they were stuck to a certain extent, and I wanted there to be a certain desperation in their lives. So when this thing happens and this opportunity presents itself, you understand why they do these crazy things that they’re doing.
Rebecca Elliott:
Good answer. John, for you, Ray is pretty downtrodden throughout the whole film, but there is a bit of a transformation there. He gets a little bit of swagger at some point. I’m just wondering, how do you make that arc, but then stay true to, I don’t want to give anything away, his downtrodden nature? And how do you keep your performance metered like that, but also show when he’s brightening up a little bit?
John Magaro:
Again, it goes back to the script. That’s the arc of it, in the playing of it. I think as an actor, you find out who the person you’re playing is. You discover who Ray is, you discover his base level, and then at that point, let the circumstances take you to the next place. Now, a big part of it is when you say “the livening up.” I think the livening up, a big part of that is the friendship that he forges in this story with Skip, Steve Zahn’s character. He’s so funny and so brilliant, he just makes it so much easier to let that joy come out.
To get into the script and the storytelling, Ray doesn’t really have friends. Even though he begrudgingly is becoming friends with Skip. He can’t help but feel good from the attention the camaraderie and the friendship. So, yeah, you get to see him more aggressive, I guess you could say. More aggressive or more dangerous in a way, or just standing up for himself.
But that’s the fun of it. That’s fun of a story like this. Another reason I was drawn to the character is because it does have this- in the most overused term- arc. But it does have that, and it’s a fun one to play. I also like that the ending is what it is, and I won’t give it away. But I think that’s the appropriate closing for Ray’s story.
Rebecca Elliott:
I agree. Shane, it’s definitely a dark story, but it does have some lighter comedy aspects. Especially Steve Zahn’s Skip, as mentioned. Also, there’s a little bit of a Keystone Cops situation with the somewhat goofy police officers. Which I love.
But can you tell me about balancing the dark with the lighter stuff? Because it would feel inappropriate if it went full zany. But there are those lighter moments that help diffuse some of the darker themes. Can you talk about balancing that? Was that mostly on the page or was that something that you achieved in post?
Shane Atkinson:
No, I mean, that’s definitely a goal that we set out with. I sat down and tried to write a comedy. This is the story that makes me laugh and amuses me and the thing that I like. So I very much tried to set up to write a comedy and to make a comedy. But I wanted it to feel grounded and real and dangerous. I wanted the whole spectrum of emotions. It’s something that I tried to do, communicate as best I could in the script. But then at the end of the day, you just have to stand behind the camera and watch the actors. Let them do it, let them bring it to life.
Finding great comedic actors, I feel like John and Steve are so great together. I mean, Steve has these really outlandish big moments. But in a comedy duo, whether it’s Laurel and Hardy, I think there’s this misconception that the straight man is not the funny one. That the other guy is the funny one. But for that comedy to work, the straight man has to be just as funny and to be working just as hard and doing just as much. Otherwise, there’s no duo, there’s no comedy. It just doesn’t work at all.
Being fortunate enough to work with John and Steve and watch them bring these two characters to life in this way, it was just so delightful to watch them interact together and to bring that to life. Finding actors who could do that very narrow, very specific thing that I was hoping to pull off was definitely my biggest job as a director. Thankfully, John and Steve as well as the whole ensemble, everyone was really terrific. I was so lucky that they said yes, and that I was able to work with these terrific people. And they were able to bring my little script to life.
Rebecca Elliott:
Including one of the best psychopaths ever with Dylan Baker as the hitman. I guess casting him must have been a dream because he somehow strikes that Everyman vibe that morphs into the creepiest persona. Tell me about nabbing him for that very important role.
Shane Atkinson:
He was another one. All these characters, I think they’re very… I’m not an actor, but I would think that they’ll be very hard parts to play because they’re doing so much. They’re juggling. They’ve got so many balls in the air at once. So many of John’s scenes are these really just desperate, sad, emotional scenes. But he’s also playing it in a way that the audience is having a great time and loving it.
It’s the same with Dylan. He had to be several things at once. The litmus test was always that opening scene. I don’t want to give it away, but you make one assumption about his character, and then it turns out to be really different. They both have to be true. He has to be both things in those moments. Finding an actor who could pull that off and also felt like he was from this world. And felt like he could pass through these towns and these diners and locations without anyone really noticing him. It was a tall order.
John was actually the one who suggested Dylan. As soon as he said his name, I was just over the moon, excited, hoping that we could get him. And thankfully, we did. He came in and was really, really lovely to work with and just gave a terrific performance.
Rebecca Elliott:
He’s so great. All right, I think I have a minute for one more quick question. I always like to ask a silly one towards the end. So what’s up with all of the late-model sedans? You have some crazy old cars. Is that a prop master or production designer gone wild? Or was that on the page? Was that something you were specific about?
Shane Atkinson:
You mentioned these towns being frozen in time, and I found that especially true in West Texas. There’s just so much space that you have these old centers of towns that are really preserved. I think rather than updating or remodeling, they just build outside of the town. A lot of these centers of these towns are just these wonderful little museums. I really like that aesthetic, and I wanted to lean into that. So I wanted something that felt a little timeless.
We always tried to point the camera at older buildings and not at chain restaurants or whatever. And we tried to do that with the cars as well. We were on a limited budget, so I wasn’t able to get the cars that I wanted necessarily. And the stupid cars that we had broke down in three and a half minutes, I think.
John Magaro:
I’m actually amazed that it didn’t break down more. Remember that first day we were just going wild on the highway? I was like, “Oh, man, this car is not going to make it.” But it made it through the shoot!
Rebecca Elliott:
It definitely added to the vibe, and I just love details like that. Those were some beaters! But they made it work. Well, thank you guys so much for chatting with me today about your film LaRoy, Texas. Good luck with everything.
John Magaro:
Thank you.
Shane Atkinson:
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Brainstorm Media is releasing the Laroy Texas in theaters and On Demand on April 12, 2024.
