While Marvel’s Thor film based on their popular superhero comic book series is years away, the Norse God provides comic relief as part of an odd ensemble cast in Thor at the Bus Stop.  The God of Thunder is oddly annoyed that his power to wield his might hammer is scoffed at by a persnickety little child who can perform feats such as spell the word “square.”  I mean, Thor doesn’t just toss a basketball at a basket – his mighty hammer comes crashing into the backboard. This is just one of the stories in a film that attempts to explain the details behind those random people we see passing by us every day.  You know, the ones you meet and wonder to yourself, “Hey, what’s that guy’s story?”  We’ve all seen these people, a guy dressed like Thor, the dude with the Mohawk, the man named Lester who was struck by lightning and now has a road sign penetrating his torso yet he still is walking and talking as if the fatal injury does not affect him.  Okay, Lester’s story is a bit ridiculous, but each character has a story to tell and somewhere along the way, they’ll get what’s coming to them.  The most memorable exchange occurs between Lester and a woman who was so upset with her boyfriend that after he told him to stand up for himself and be more of an asshole, he left her.  Shortly after that exchange, she figured it all out.  (Be careful what you wish for… you know the rest.)

Like a series of shorts woven together into a random order with some, but not all of them connecting, the results are mixed.  Thor is worth some giggles and Lester learns his lesson – but for a mixed bag of good and bad, more than a few smiles are cracked.

Words by Chris Gore