Sunday, March 23, 2008
A+E, Movies, Reviews
My So-Called Bodyguard
'Drillbit Taylor’ lands a few solid hits
CREDIT: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Owen Wilson stars in “Drillbit Taylor.”
“DRILLBIT TAYLOR”
Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann
Directed by Steven Brill
Rated PG-13
Wide release
By Steve Warren
The geeks inherit the earth (again) in “Drillbit Taylor,” a feel-good comedy from producer Judd Apatow that may not be as good as his “Knocked Up” or “Superbad” but marks a return to form after “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”
Though this story of three high school freshmen versus a bully could have been a “violence solves everything” revenge tale like “Never Back Down,” or another story of a coach turning a team of losers into winners, it’s really more of an “odd couple” movie, with the three dweebs forming one half of the couple. The other half is the title character (Owen Wilson), a homeless con man the boys hire as a bodyguard.
Of the three geeks, Ryan (Troy Gentile) is the fat kid, Wade (Nate Hartley) the “freakishly skinny” kid. Best friends, they make the mistake of wearing matching shirts on their first day of high school. This, in addition to Wade’s heroic attempt to keep Emmit (David Dorfman) from being stuffed into a locker, attracts the attention of psycho-bully Terry Filkins (Alex Frost).
Filkins’ assaults on them break enough laws that he could go to juvie until he’s 40, but he finesses his way past clueless Principal Doppler (Stephen Root). Filkins has a sidekick, Ronnie (Josh Peck), who never really develops into a character but whose mother is played by Lisa Lampanelli in a cameo as herself.
It’s Wade who gets the idea of looking for a bodyguard, and next to some of the oddballs who apply, Drillbit smells like roses. That’s because he showers every morning on the beach by the highway—starkers. He also talks a good game about his record as an Army Ranger who was discharged for “unauthorized heroism.”
This soldier of misfortune’s plan is to get what money he can from the kids, and get more by robbing their houses before moving to Canada, his idea of the Promised Land. But, of course, he grows to like the boys, and even teaches them a few things about self-defense—“top secret Black Ops fighting moves”—although most of them backfire.
To keep an eye on his charges, Drillbit dresses in Wade’s stepfather’s suit and masquerades as a substitute teacher. This gives him access to the teachers’ lounge, where he meets hot-to-trot Lisa (Leslie Mann, Apatow’s wife), a woman with a track record of picking losers who thinks her luck has changed with “Dr. Illbit.”
The screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen has some good lines, but it’s the winning cast that sells the film. Wilson is his usual, endearingly goofy self, and the boys are utterly believable, no matter how unbelievable the plot gets. The legendary John Hughes (undercover as “Edmond Dantes”) shares a story credit with the two screenwriters, sparking speculation that this could be an idea he had lying around but never filmed. Director Steven Brill goes a long way toward redeeming himself for “Little Nicky” and “Without a Paddle” (although not even another “Citizen Kane” would completely cancel out “Little Nicky”).
With the state legislature debating an anti-bullying bill, the time is right for a movie like “Drillbit Taylor” (and the eve- gentler “Son of Rambow,” premiering next month at the Atlanta Film Festival). Today’s high school students should find plenty to relate to, and it should stir up uncomfortable memories for former geeks—while charming the inner geek inside all of us. 3 STARS