Mayberry Man

The least you could have done is have it in the town Andy based it on, the same town the actual Mayberry fest is held. Mt, Airy, NC is a living tribute to the show. It's highly unfair you traded up the actual town for the Hendricks County Courthouse rather than have it in Mt. Airy itself located in actual North Carolina. Pilot Mountain, Raleigh all the real places from which the show was based. I know the DesiLu sets aren't intact but yet there will always be Mt. Airy, Andy's actual hometown. Real fans know the difference! Cheap imagery and change ups lead people to only follow the story because it refers to Mayberry. After 30 minutes in it appears to more of a cheap money grab imitation.

The concept of this movie had potential. "The Andy Griffith Show" is a classic, with some of the most memorable characters in TV history. So the idea of making a movie around those characters and the town of Mayberry definitely has potential . But that potential is squandered here.

It's as though someone came up with an interesting idea, but no one involved in this film was capable of turning that idea into a professional film.

The script is paper-thin, most of the actors appear to be rank amateurs, and the one semi-professional, in the lead role, doesn't really have the kind of charisma it would take to single-handedly elevate this effort.

I suppose that isn't surprising, when you consider that the script was written and the movie was directed by a guy whose past credits are predominantly for Saturday morning cartoons.

Once we are in in the mock Mayberry town, and have met the people doing impressions of the classic characters such as Barney Fife and Floyd the Barber (some of which are pretty good, at least in small doses), the movie sort of runs out of gas - and ideas.

The film has its heart in the right place, and was obviously hoping to wring a profit from Mayberry nostalgia, but that just isn't enough.

In sum, if you are a diehard fan of "The Andy Griffith Show", who is easily thrilled by anything Mayberry, then this novelty film will amuse you, at least for a while, and you may be able to ignore its obvious flaws. But keep your expectations low.

I suspect that the main fans of this movie will be the town residents of Danville, Indiana, where the movie was filmed, and the friends and family members of the people doing the impressions of the Mayberry characters, who will doubtlessly be thrilled by seeing their hometown starring in a movie.

(But come to think of it, Indiana is a long way from North Carolina.)

I'm gonna have to agree with angelanepereny's review. It's pretty obvious there has been an organized campaign to hype this movie. I wouldn't believe most of the 10 star reviews here. Granted the original TV series may have stirred up the emotion in some people as well. I don't think you can blame or judge any of the actors because they didn't have much to work with. I believe the script took an afternoon to write which was easy when you start out by trying to copy as much of the movie "Doc Hollywood" that you can without getting sued. They even included the scene where he lost control of his car and drove off the road. There really is no storyline worth following, no character development or even characters you care about. I gotta say Barney and Floyd were fairly well done.

If you are a fan of the movies, do this. Get your popcorn, get your soda, get your junior mints, turn the lights down, and yes, turn up the surround sound or music bar on your system.

This is a solid story line, with good directing and good acting. And they must have done all this in during the pandemic of course.

The Tribute artist are awesome. Especially Floyd and Barney. Man, they each have the voice and the mannerisms of the charters they mimic.

Chris - Needed what the judge sentenced him to. More judges should do something similar to this in the future. I can think of another actor or two in Hollywood who just might benefit from a week at Mayberry Days.

Good job to the director, actors and crews. If you every paid attention to Floyd the Barber - Two Chairs No Waiting - you know that Allan Newsome has him down to a T. Very funny expressions. Zoom in!!

Now this is a movie fans can enjoy forever. It is timeless, and the message is timeless.

Moving it up near Waking Ned Devine as one of my favorite movies. Oh, you haven't seen Waking Ned Devine? Well you are in for another treat. Especially if you ever dreamed of winning the lottery.

Cheers all,

now, where is that popcorn. Let's watch this moving again.

OK. Here is the correct review of this film, omitting the extremes on both sides (hopefully), and from a typical Mayberry lover.

Yes, the storyline is cheesy while the script and much of the acting is pretty lame. That's nearly expected when the producers likely wanted to make a cheap film using non-actors. So let's give that criticism a break. What should we expect? After all, who among us wouldn't want to be in a movie about Mayberry? As for the pros, the Brett and Ashley "prof acting" characters still made for a decent and likable downhome couple. That said about the acting, I still enjoyed the film.

I will give Mayberry Man a thumbs up of 7 for the following two reasons: Barney and Floyd. These guys were perfect. How people could not see that, I don't know. Just like the show itself, when Barney and Floyd were on camera, regardless of who else was on screen with them, they stole the spotlight. Now, I am a pretty tough critic, but as the movie progresses, I found these two amiable "tribute actors' got so good they made a not so good script and imperfect film worth watching. When these two were in the squad car alone, improvising as they went, they WERE Barney and Floyd for me. And, when that happens and you can suspend belief a bit, these two amazing recreations made this trip to Mayberry all worthwhile.

Hang with It all to the end and see what I mean.