Wilder Napalm is a dark fantasy rom com directed by Glenn Gordon Caron (creator of Moonlighting) and written by a young Vince Gilligan.
Dennis Quaid and Arliss Howard play two pyrokinetic brothers, Wallace and Wilder, who come to blows over the woman (Debra Winger) they both love and their conflicting views about whether to let the world know about their powers. Jim Varney plays Wallace's crony and M. Emmet Walsh plays a fire chief.
Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Wallace isn't evil, but he is unapologetic about how he and his brother accidentally killed someone as a kid while testing their fire powers, tries to steal his brother's wife, and once burned Wilder's hair off. At the end of the movie, his pyrokinetic abilities are exposed to the world and he becomes a rich celebrity, just like he wanted.
- Did Not Think This Through: Vida is under house arrest because she tried to set a kerosene fire to burn the snow off her sidewalk and the snow slid downhill (her old house was on an incline) and set a nearby doctor's office on fire.
- Monster Clown: Downplayed, but Wallace wears a clown suit in a few scenes where he's being a jerk or testing out his powers, and it's a bit creepy.
- Playing with Fire: The Napalm brothers can use fire for both mundane chores and to attack people and destroy structures.
- Sibling Triangle: Both Napalm brothers love the same woman and she is married to Wilder, but finds that Wallace sometimes excites her more.
