World's Greatest Dad Review

Posted by Joseph Lee on 08.23.2009

Lance Clayton is about to get everything he deserves, but will this movie?




Starring:

*Robin Williams as Lance Clayton
*Daryl Sabara as Kyle Clayton
*Alexie Gilmore as Claire
*Evan Martin as Andrew
*Henry Simmons as Mike

Story: Lance Clayton has dreamed of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle is an insufferable jackass who won't give his father the time of day. He is dating Claire, the school's adorable art teacher, but she doesn't want to get serious -- or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating. Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of all the fame, fortune and popularity he ever dreamed of, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.

Trivia: This film was available on-demand through the Sundance channel a month before it premiered in limited showings at theaters.


If you had ever told me that Bobcat Goldthwait and Robin Williams would be paired together to make an extremely dark comedy, and that comedy would be one of the best of it's year...I'd think you were on drugs. But here it is, World's Greatest Dad, the newest comedy from Williams that is, dare I say it, actually funny. I'm more than aware that the comedic offerings from Williams haven't been notable since The Birdcage, at least. It seems like he's been more interested in his dramatic work this decade, which has been quite good.

World's Greatest Dad doesn't exactly take him back to his roots, in the sense that he's not the zany Robin Williams that once voiced the Genie in Aladdin. This is a black, dark comedy that shows a man so desperate for fame that he is more than willing to exploit a tragedy for his own means. It explores how someone can become famous posthumously, the almost cult-like reaction of the people who worship them, and how others will exploit tragedy just to get a taste of fame. This past summer has seen the death of Michael Jackson, and certainly you can see a lot of parallels between that real life incident and the one presented here.

The title of the film is World's Greatest Dad, and you can tell right off that Lance Clayton is far from that. It's not as if he doesn't try. He wants the best for his son, but his son is, as Lance puts it, "a douchebag". The two do not get along very well. Kyle can't even seem to focus on school, or anything but porn and sex. He thinks music and movies are for losers (not his words, but I'm going to keep this PG). Lance, meanwhile, is having a relationship with a fellow teacher and trying so hard not to show his disappointment that he is yet again not getting any of his writing's published.

All of this changes when an inexplicable tragedy occurs. When it is revealed what happens, a number of emotions can pass through the viewer. You can feel the sadness when Lance begins to cry, but at the same time, the nature of the tragedy is such that you may also find it humorous. Then you may become angry with yourself for feeling this way. This pivotal moment is the entire film in a nutshell. You're supposed to feel this way. That's the way black comedy works. It's here that Bobcat Goldthwait shows that he is a brilliant director and writer with this kind of material, and Robin Williams is just as game to go along with it.

I've mentioned that Williams is really good here. It's true. He combines the subtle dramatic aspects that he's become known for being able to do, but still manages to let the film poke fun at him as he started out in comedy, after all. It's his best performance in one of these movies since the 90's, and one of his better performances in anything in seven years. That's not a slight on anything he's done in that period, it's just praise for this role. Williams is not the only one who brings the comedy.

Daryl Sabara is ready to shock and awe as Kyle, saying things that are solely in the script to offend the viewer and make them laugh. Maybe they laugh because it's funny, or maybe they laugh because they can't think of anything else to do. The topics he discusses and things he says make his role the more memorable of the two. I have a feeling that he will be putting his Spy Kids days behind him once more people see his performance here. Alexie Gilmore also manages to bring her charms to her role, as she slips into the same cult-like following that everyone else does.

Did I have any problems? Yes. I feel the movie tends to stumble over itself towards the end. The entire film seems to be building to a dramatic finish where, as the poster implies, Lance Clayton gets everything he deserves. Instead, the film ends with a bizarre skinny-dipping scene and then putters out anticlimactically. The crescendo that seems ready to erupt never happens, leaving the audience unfulfilled.

Other than that, it's still a strong dark comedy. It's well-written, well-acted and has some hilarious moments that you will laugh at due to shock, if nothing else. There are also some topical and relevant themes here that will give you something to think about. Hopefully this film gains the audience that it deserves.

The 411: World's Greatest Dad is a dark and disturbing comedy. The topics and ideas in the film seem like something that would be better suited for a drama, but here it's all played for laughs. If you can get over being offended, you can see the humor. It also features Robin Williams' best comedic performance since the nineties, so that makes it worth tracking down.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]