Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure (1995)
A journey into a world where legends come to life. Dreams come true. And every boy is a hero.
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik · Writers: Robert Rodat, Steve Bloom
A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community. When Daniel Hackett sees his father Jonas gravely wounded by the villainous Stiles, his first urge is for his family to flee the danger, and give up their life on a farm which Daniel has come to despise anyway. Going alone to a lake to try to decide what to do, he falls asleep on a boat and wakes to find himself in the wild west, in the company of such "tall tale" legends as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Calamity Jane. Together, they battle the same villains Daniel is facing in his "real" world, ending with a heroic confrontation in which the boy stands up to Stiles and his henchmen, and rallies his neighbors to fight back against land grabbers who want to destroy their town.
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Trailer
Director
Jeremiah S. Chechik
Cast
Patrick Swayze
Pecos Bill 
Oliver Platt
Paul Bunyan 
Roger Aaron Brown
John Henry 
Nick Stahl
Daniel Hackett 
Scott Glenn
J.P. Stiles 
Stephen Lang
Jonas Hackett 
Jared Harris
Head Thug Pug 
Catherine O'Hara
Calamity Jane 
Burgess Meredith
Old Man (uncredited) 
Scott Wilson
Zeb 
William H. Macy
Railroad Magnate 
Moira Sinise
Mary Hackett User Reviews (1)
A tad messy in its execution, but a cool film nevertheless. I'll be honest, it oddly took me a while to catch on to what was happening; I found all the dots, so to speak, but didn't connect them quick enough for some reason. Nonetheless, throughout, I was very much enjoying the film. The cast are terrific, they certainly elevate the film up in my thoughts. Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt and Roger Aaron Brown are entertaining in the respective roles as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry. A young Nick Stahl isn't amazing, but his performance is satisfactory. Scott Glenn, meanwhile, is a solid villain. Away from them, you have the likes of Jared Harris, Stephen Lang, Scott Wilson and Catherine O'Hara appear - I would've loved to have seen more of O'Hara as Calamity Jane, there was great potential there for a big team up with Swayze's character; sadly we only get them together for…
