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Bobcat Goldthwait.
Well that’s a name I hadn’t
thought about in quite a while. I used to
watch his comedy act years ago and actually
found him as funny as he was annoying. I
even enjoyed seeing him in 2 of the 142
“Police Academy” movies. But
I think my two most striking memories was
from seeing him do his act one year on HBO’s
Comic Relief in a bathtub, complete with
shower curtain, then performing a near perfect
imitation Bono (U2) singing “With
or Without You.”
Goldthwait threw his act in the directorial
ring with the 1991 film, “Shakes the
Clown.” For the most part it was an
abysmal mess of a film about an alcoholic
clown that was reviled by audiences and
(believe it or not) picketed by the real
life clown community.
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I rather liked the movie in spite of its very
dark comedic nature as I could see what Goldthwait
was TRYING to accomplish, even if he failed to
do so. I kind of hoped that he would direct again,
just to see if he would take any steps forward.
As it happened, he did not return again until
2006 with “Stay” (also known as “Sleeping
Dogs Lie”), which dealt with a couple’s
coming face to face with a past… uhhh…
sexual indiscretion. Again, the subject matter
went too far for mainstream audiences, but I saw
the growth as a director.
With “World’s Greatest Dad”,
I believe Goldthwait may have finally reached
a new height and delivered a film that is sure
to be embraced by a larger audience… as
long as someone gets to see it. It had a limited
release in theaters, but is making the rounds
in the DVD (and Bluray) market. I recently watched
the DVD and was very surprised and pleased by
what I saw.
Robin Williams stars as Lance Clayton. He is man
who, like most of us, is living a life of silent
desperation. His hopes and dreams of being a famous
novelist and having the perfect family steadily
crumbled into that of becoming a high school poetry
teacher with a majorly perverted jerk for a son.
His love life includes another teacher (Alexie
Gilmore) as his girlfriend… in a relationship
that must be kept a secret. Resigned to this undead
life, Lance moves through one day into the next
with no new hope for change. Until, that is, the
day his son has a rather unexpected accident.
With it, his chance for fame and fortune finally
becomes a possibility… as long as doesn’t
mind doing the unconscionable. I cannot say any
more.
“World’s Greatest Dad” is similar
to Goldthwait’s previous outings in that
it deals with the discomfort of taboo subjects.
Except this one doesn’t quite stray as far
into left field as his others, and it just might
appeal to a broader audience. Williams’
portrayal is amongst his best of the past few
years, it is almost a shame that it was used in
a film that may not find the audience it deserves.
Daryl Sabara as Lance’s son, Kyle, delivers
a performance that is both brilliant as it is
disturbing. He truly makes me pray that I can
keep my daughter into growing into as despicable
a teenager as he is. (Of course I hope that anyway….
His performance just served as a ‘slap in
the face’ reminder…)
Magnolia’s DVD release of “World’s
Greatest Dad” features quite a few extra
features, including an eye-opening commentary
by Goldthwait. I can’t remember the last
time I enjoyed a commentary so thoroughly as he
is often funny and occasionally strays off the
subject yet offers insights far deeper than some
directors are willing to share. There are also
a handful of deleted scenes, an HDNet promo piece,
and a music video for The Deadly Syndrome’s
“I Hope I Become a Ghost.” Additionally,
there is a splendid Behind the Scenes feature
that was filmed by Goldthwait’s daughter
as well as a short Outtake Reel.
“World’s Greatest Dad” is a
difficult movie to recommend, though not as difficult
as past Goldthwait projects. If you don’t
mind dealing with smartly filmed movies that have
somewhat taboo subjects, I feel you will enjoy
the film immensely. If not… I guess you
should wait for the next big blockbuster.
Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait
Starring: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl
Sabara, Henry Simmons
Extras: Behind the Scenes; Outtakes; Deleted Scenes;
HDNET – A Look at World’s Greatest
Dad; “I Hope I Become a Ghost” Video
by The Deadly Syndrome; Commentary with Writer/Director
Bobcat Goldthwait
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), 5.1 and 2.0
Dolby Digital
Studio: Magnolia
Release Date: 12/8/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.worldsgreatestdadfilm.com
We'll give World's Greatest Dad a B+.
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