Group Review: World's Greatest Dad

The indie comedy World's Greatest Dad, written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, finally hits Austin theaters this week after debuting at Sundance earlier this year. Jenn and Jette both saw the movie and are very much divided in opinion. One thought it was "edgy in all the right ways" and the other complained that "the stale humor and often flat acting put me to sleep." Keep reading to find out more.

The Summary:

Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a high-school poetry teacher who really wants to be a published author. He's having trouble getting his girlfriend (Alexie Gilmore) to commit, too -- she seems more interested in a colleague who's a more successful writer and teacher. But Lance's biggest problem is with his sullen, sex-crazed son, Kyle (Daryl Sabara), who wants to spend all his time looking at extremely kinky pictures on the Internet, occasionally taking a break to insult everyone around him. Kyle is driving Lance up the wall, and then something happens to Kyle that changes everything.

Let's start with Jenn Brown:

If World's Greatest Dad was a festival film, I would have walked out, even as someone willing to give slow and seemingly pointless movies a chance. I like black comedy, and stories that challenge social mores and questions. It took forever to get to the first point: the loss of a son only a father could love. The stale humor and often flat acting nearly put me to sleep. With a protagonist sleepwalking through life until tragedy wakes him up, there needs to be greater care taken in bringing the story to life.

That's not to say there's nothing redeemable about Goldthwait's film; there's an especially poignant encounter between Lance and his neighbor that for all its subtlety has more vibrancy than any other scene in the movie.

I wasn't surprised to learn how much live television Goldthwait has directed; a story like this would work better with a deftness not needed on Jimmy Kimmel. The concept is intriguing, but as director and writer, I have to wonder if the film wouldn't be better served with a little separation of roles. 

Jette Kernion also checks in:

Bobcat Goldthwait seems to have a knack for hiding a sweet, touching movie inside of a seemingly offensive premise. His previous film, Sleeping Dogs Lie, was ostensibly about bestiality ... but turned out to be a lovely little relationship film. He plays a similar trick with his latest film, World's Greatest Dad.

None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, with the possible exceptions of Lance's reclusive neighbor and Kyle's best friend. The worst offender is Kyle, the teenager who talks about nothing but sex. And not in the stereotypical teen-boy way -- no, he's interested in all kinds of unusual, unhygienic and even unsafe acts. His dad, Lance, is understandably at his wits' end.

But Lance is no saint either -- his opening fantasy of getting a book published is focused more on money and naked chicks than anything else. He's trying to build a relationship with a teacher who's much younger than he is, and he's obviously proud to feel like she's out of his league in terms of attractiveness. And some of the things he does after the big tragedy of the film are reprehensible, no matter why he does them. Fortunately, they're also pretty funny.

I don't normally like movies with unlikable characters but again, beneath all of the nastiness, there's something honest and understandable and even a bit sentimental -- Lance may not like his son very much, but he obviously loves him.

I'd also like to note that this is probably the first film with Robin Williams in it that I've liked in, oh, maybe a decade. The entire cast is excellent, and there are some amusing cameos: Nirvana band member Krist Novoselic as a sympathetic bystander in one of my favorite scenes; Tom Kenny, the voice of Spongebob, as a jaded assistant for a TV talk show; and even Goldthwait himself as a patient chauffeur.

World's Greatest Dad is edgy in all the right ways, and funny at all the right times, and delightfully offensive. You can watch it on Amazon VOD and a few other places online (not for free), but I'd recommend seeing it with an audience because the shared laughs are great.