Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Jeff Grennell is Daryl Dumwoody, a Western movie fan and John Wayne fanatic who’s fallen on hard times.

His girlfriend Sandy has left him, partly because she can’t stand the idea of a life spent watching classic Westerns.

And he’s lost his job as ranch hand when laid off by buddy Steve Callahan, owner of a horse ranch in financial trouble.

It’s gotten so bad, Daryl is contemplating ending it all.

In fact, he’s about to slip a noose around his neck when he spots a door, standing alone in the middle of a pasture.

Intrigued, he approaches it, then forces his way through.

He lands smack dab in the old West town of Dogwood Pass.

It’s a town the rich Orson Kane (Vernon Wells) thinks he should control, with the help of a bully / gunman / outlaw known as “The Beast” (Jesse Marciniak).

It’s a town where Sheriff Dobbs (Steve Graf) is trying to do the right thing, but sure could use some help from an honest man.

It’s a town that offers Daryl Dumwoody a chance at a fresh start. If he can muster the courage to take it.

Jeff Grennell as Daryl Dumwoody, who prefers to be called John Wayne or ‘The Duke’ once he lands in the Old West in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Steve Graf as Sheriff Dobbs, wondering what to make of the stranger who’s arrived in Dogwood Pass in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Review:

An endearing performance from Jeff Grennell helps transform this modest budget Western into a pleasant surprise.

The film runs into some of the typical problems facing Westerns filmed on a limited budget.

Not all the performers seem entirely comfortable in front of a camera. The action scenes won’t match anyone’s big-budget expectations.

But this is a film with a clear sense of direction, yet one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Director Aaron Bratcher serves up poignant moments now and then. And he serves up comedy.

Especially amusing are the scenes where Daryl keeps barging through doors, trying to find his way back to the present, to the absolute bewilderment of old West shopkeepers.

Most of all, it’s a film with heart, one sure to put a smile on the face of any Western fan or wannabe cowboy.

For those wondering, the Western town featured in the film is Dogwood Pass in Beaver, Ohio, created by Mike and Sharlene Montgomery, both of whom have roles in the movie.

Jesse Marciniak as Jesse ‘The Beast’ Bristol, behind bars but still brash as ever in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Vernon Wells as Orson Kane, trying to convince the Dogwood Pass sheriff to do his bidding in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Directed by:
Aaron Bratcher

Cast:
Jeff Grennell … Daryl Dumwoody
Vernon Wells … Orson Kane
Debra Lamb … Marion McMurtry
Jesse Marciniak … Jesse ‘The Beast’ Bristol
Steve Graf … Sheriff Dobbs
M.K. Smith … Deputy Harris
Tim O’Hearn … Doby Bristol
Mathew Grant St. … Shep Bristol
Sharlene Montgomery … Lefty
Mike Montgomery … Steve
Landen Ferrell … The Kid
Michelle Snyder … Sandy
Patrick Lamba … Randy

Runtime: 119 min.

Songs:

“Showdown,” “My Own Thing,” “Another Bender” performed by Tim Ruffo
“Every Passing Mile” performed by Waydown Wailers
Score: Brandon Richards

Debra Lamb as Marion McMurtry, humored by the peculiar stranger who keeps visiting her general store in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Michelle Snyder as Sandy, the girl who dumps Daryl Dumwoody in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Memorable lines:

Sandy: “I don’t love you. I hate living here. We got no money. And watching old John Wayne movies? That ain’t my idea of fun … I like to go out.”
Daryl Dumwoody: “But we go out.”
Sandy: “To John Wayne movies. Your hero. I’m sorry. But you ain’t no John Wayne. And you never will be.”

Daryl Dumwoody, decked out for riding and shooting lessons: “Do I look like John Wayne?”
Steve Callahan: “You look more like Barney Frickin’ Fife.”

Deputy Harris: “You bat-shit crazy?”
Daryl: “No. I fell through a door from another time and wound up here.”
Deputy: “Hey, stupid! That don’t even make no sense.”
Daryl: “I need to find a door to go home.”
Deputy: “We’ll find you a door alright. One with bars on it.”

Sheriff Dobbs to Deputy Daryl, as he nervously tries to feed shells into his six-gun: “Damn, Daryl, they work better when you get them in the gun.”

Jeff Grennell as Daryl Dumwoody, wondering if it’s time to end it all after losing his girl and his job in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Tim O’Hearn as Doby Bristol, one of ‘The Beast’s’ outlaw brothers in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Mathew Grant Sr. as Shep Bristol, one of ‘The Beast’s’ outlaw brothers in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

M.K. Smith as Deputy Harris, the man who locks up Daryl, then is willing to be Orson Kane’s hand-picked ‘sheriff’ in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Mike Montgomery as Steve Callahan, the buddy who teaches Daryl how to ride a horse in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Landen Farrell as The Kid, a Dogwood Pass orphan Daryl befriends in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Director Aaron Bratcher in a cameo as the Old West bartender in his film Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)

Jeff Grennell as Daryl Dumwoody, thrilled to have found his way back to the Old West in Showdown in Yesteryear (2023)