Robert E. Howard was a titan of pulp. Even now, the mention of his name, or the more well-known name of Conan, can summon up some of the deepest prejudices ingrained in us by the English faculty. Granted, some of the eye-rolling is deserved. But whatever your estimation of the early twentieth centurys pulp literature, Howard is an intriguing figure. If his writing will never class him among greats like Hemingway, his suicide might.
Despite the drama of his death, Howard is not the most attractive figure for a biographical film. He was a loner, something of a Boo Radley, with a strange attachment to his ailing mother. He wrote cheesy, oversexed (for the time) fantasy stories. And when his mother died, he shot himself. Freud would have liked it, but this isnt exactly ready-made Hollywood material. Although theres some potential for an artful approach. Unfortunately, Dan Irelands The Whole Wide World never executes well enough to overcome the storys inherent weakness.
The supposed romance between Novalyne Price (Renée Zellweger) and Bob Howard (Vincent DOnofrio) supplies just enough tension to keep the movie limping on. Not unlike The Remains of the Day, that tension comes largely as the audience agonizes over Bobs inability to give himself up to love. It also comes as Novalyne wrestles with Bobs eccentricity. At times its charming. At first she doesnt care what the townspeople think of Bob, and of her for associating with him. But his is an oddness that will not be domesticated.
This is suggested by a wolf Novalyne encounters when Bob takes her on one of many forays into the Texas countryside, where landscapes are expansive, if not particularly inspiring. The wolf regards her momentarily. Its a dangerous creature, but also fascinating. When she turns her back for a moment, it leaves her suddenly.
The memoir Price later wrote is the backbone of this story, and ultimately she becomes the movies protagonist. Its simply too hard to identify with Howard. Hes too unusual. Zellweger does fairly well in the role. She has both the curiosity and the spunk Novalyne would need to be interested in Bob and to interest him. Her counterpart, DOnofrio, isnt an actor. Hes a spectacle. When I realized his name was on the DVD cover I almost took it straight back to Blockbuster. Thankfully, hes somewhat tamer than his Law & Order persona. Still, he pushes the character of Howard over the top. Ill admit that a melodramatic reading is appropriate when Howard is quoting from his stories. At these points, where we see Howard through glimpses of his own writing, the movie captivates. But maintaining the melodrama in the characters every aspect makes him difficult to take seriously, much less connect with.
Novalynes motivation for first seeking out Howard is to get some tips on her own writing. Its telling that Bob never really gives her any useful advice. Perhaps thats as Price remembers it in her memoir. I think it also reflects on Irelands inability to tell this story. At one point Howard describes one of his heroes as a morose, ungainly, misfit among men. Hes also talking about himself, to Novalynes consternation. Its an apt way to describe this movie. Nothing fits right, and even with my interest in Robert E. Howard I was never drawn in. Bob writes his stories but never quite lives his life. The Whole Wide World is also a tragedy of unfulfilled potential. Portraits are painted, scenes are staged, but it never quite becomes a film.
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