#tapawingo

Waxing Gibbous

Saint Clair Lake, Ellsworth, Michigan

Omg

Jon Heder returns to his comfort zone in Tapawingo, a nostalgic comedy set in small-town America during the late ‘70s. The film follows Nate Skoog, a 30-year-old mailroom worker, as his mundane existence takes an unexpected turn when he becomes an unlikely bodyguard.

Nate still lives with his mother and spends his days shuffling through a dead-end job and hanging out with his best friend Will (Jay Pichardo). When his boss demands that Nate pick up his son, Oswalt (Sawyer Williams), from school, Nate discovers the teenager is being relentlessly targeted by the local bullying dynasty. This presents Nate with an opportunity he’s secretly dreamed about: becoming a mercenary for hire. So, he assembles a multifarious team to protect Oswalt from the town’s most notorious family of tormentors and let’s just say... things do not go as planned.

Director Dylan K. Narang crafts a loving homage to the era, filling each frame with period-perfect details. The production design excels at recreating the analog world of arcade games, wood-paneled station wagons, and rotary phones. The soundtrack particularly shines, featuring well-chosen songs that instantly transport viewers back to the Reagan era with everything from hair metal to quirky prog rock.

Heder slides effortlessly into Nate’s skin, bringing his trademark deadpan delivery and physical comedy to a character who could have been a retread but instead feels fresh. His awkwardness never feels forced, and there’s genuine heart beneath the eccentricity. The supporting cast brings additional star power, with Billy Zane, Gina Gershon, Amanda Bearse, and John Ratzenberger each adding their own flavor to the proceedings.

What elevates Tapawingo beyond simple nostalgia-bait is its sincere core. Beneath the absurdist humor and period trappings lies a genuine story about finding purpose and standing up for others. The film manages to be both ridiculous and heartfelt without undercutting either tone. Refreshingly, the comedy relies on character-based humor and situational absurdity rather than crude gags—a rarity in contemporary comedies.

The film’s primary weakness is its runtime. Certain sequences overstay their welcome, and the pacing occasionally drags during the second act. A tighter edit would have sharpened the comedy and maintained momentum throughout. Some subplots meander when they should sprint, diluting the impact of otherwise solid comedic setups.

Still, Tapawingo succeeds where it counts. It’s a genuinely funny film that trusts its audience to appreciate character-driven comedy and period-specific humor without constant explanation. For fans of Heder’s particular brand of clumsy charm, this represents a welcome return to form. For everyone else, it’s a pleasant surprise: a comedy that actually delivers laughs while maintaining a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.

The film proves that there’s still room for gentle, eccentric comedies in today’s landscape. While it may not revolutionize the genre, Tapawingo offers something increasingly rare: a comedy that’s both family-friendly and genuinely amusing, wrapped in a lovingly crafted period package that never feels like empty nostalgia.