Pottersville is a sweet Christmas comedy that boasts an excellent cast. The movie takes its name from Pottersville, a small town full of ordinary people who have fallen on hard times due to the closure of the local mill. Nothing much happens there and time just plods along.
Michael Shannon plays Maynard Greiger who runs the family general store in Pottersville. A seemingly quiet man, he is essentially a hard-working decent guy, if a little boring. After heading home early to surprise his wife, he discovers her in a full bunny costume role-playing with his friend who is dressed as a wolf. Turns out they are ‘furries' and that's how his wife gets her kicks.
Disillusioned by the revelation, Maynard downs some hooch and while drunk out of his mind dresses up as a gorilla and goes running through the streets. Of course, that only leads to a few ‘Bigfoot' sightings and soon the town is overrun with visitors and news crews, all of whom are hoping to glimpse the elusive creature.
Seeing the positive effect on the town, and the money it's generating, Maynard keeps up the charade. But of course, all good things must come to an end. Soon Bigfoot is being tracked down and it's not long before the town finds out that the whole thing has been a prank – albeit one with good intentions.
Along the way there are some really funny parts, including the OTT Brock Masterson (Thomas Lennon) who is the face of a reality tv show. Ian McShane plays the town drunk and hunter Bart and along with Sheriff Jack (Ron Perlman) they inevitably discover what Maynard has been up to.
Pottersville is a nice film. There are no bad guys, no plots to foil, only a story about hope and goodness, but one that comes with plenty of laughs. Though I should point out it's less about actual Christmas and more about the fact that it's set around Christmas. That said, it's a perfectly lovely way to spend an hour and a half.
