'World's Greatest Dad'
(Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, et al / DVD / R / (2009) 2010 / Magnolia)
Overview: Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a man who has learned to settle. He dreams of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as an unpopular high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle won’t give him the time of day and his girlfriend doesn’t want to get serious — or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating ... until the accident!
DVD Verdict: As a huge Robin Williams fan, especially of his darker work, I was very eager to see 'World's Greatest Dad.' When it was over, I was very happy I had been sent it for review and had not spent any money renting it or, God-forbid, purchasing it!
I mean, not that the movie is bad, per say, just not great and probably not something I'd ever have the hankering to pull out and watch over again. Sure, I found the storyline of the film to be rather alluring, but not altogether enduring. It was hard for me to find much to like in any of the characters really.
To be perfectly honest, I found the most interesting of them to be the old woman who hoards newspapers because she's afraid to throw anything away; as she's convinced that if she does, something terrible will happen.
Williams' character, Lance, has some admirable qualities, but I found it hard to get past his actions after the death of his son. Using it to garner attention for himself seems pretty ghastly to me. But, he does tell the truth in the end, so I guess there is a lesson to be learnt!
The language is VERY raunchy and very dark, but at times it seems like it was added in a manner to fill time. Like, they'd run out of dialogue and yet still had the camera rolling! Anyway, I would certainly reccomend renting it before purchasing as it seems destined to be the type of movie you either love or hate. [AG] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Behind the Scenes
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
HDNet: A Look at 'World's Greatest Dad'
I Hope I Become a Ghost - Music Video by The Deadly Syndrome
Commentary with writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait
www.magpictures.com