Thomas Haden Church isn’t quite as ubiquitous as he was a couple of decades ago – the actor known for his sharp wit and dry delivery has been laying low and picking projects that are a little lesser known. His latest film, Accidental Texan, is a nod to his hometown roots. Church dons his boots in this dramady to play Merle, a rough-around-the-edges oil driller on the brink of losing his life’s work to some scummy guys in suits who have their sights set on his livelihood.

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When fate – and a failed acting job – bring Merle and young thespian Erwin (Rudy Pankow) together at a small-town diner, the two see an opportunity in each other. Erwin needs his broken-down car fixed to get back to Los Angeles, and Merle needs a partner-in-crime to stop his business from falling into the hands of greedy businessmen. Helping them along the way is Faye (Carrie-Anne Moss), a kind diner-worker with a soft spot for rugged Merle. Her character doesn’t totally seem necessary, almost like she’s just sprinkled in for decoration, but it’s always good to see Carrie-Anne Moss in anything.

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Playing a cowboy appears to come as natural to Church as breathing, and while I wish his character were a little more fleshed out, he’s always fun to watch. Pankow’s performance grew on me throughout the film, not so much because Erwin is super likeable as a character, but because Pankow is good at playing him. Accidental Texan is about as close to a good old fashioned feel-good film as you can get, and a story about an unlikely friendship never gets old. It probably won’t change any lives, but I’m comfortable filing it under the “pleasant family film” category.