Movie Review - World's Greatest Dad (2009)

Starring Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Henry Simmons, and Geoffrey Pierson
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait

There are two distinctly different tones in this movie here. Neither are bad, but the beginning outweighs the ending which brings the overall rating down a notch.

Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, an English teacher, struggling writer, and single father to Kyle (played by Spy Kids alum Daryl Sabara). Kyle isn't exactly the nicest teenager. All that's on his mind is sex and, honestly, he's probably the nastiest, rudest kid that I've seen in a movie this year. There's much more to this black comedy, but I don't really want to discuss it as it's best left for you to witness it as it unfolds onscreen.

Williams is really quite good in this. His character takes an emotional journey in this movie and I believed every second of it. Also, I was amazed at how impressed I was with Daryl Sabara. I remember liking this kid in Spy Kids, but he took what could've been (and was) an outrageous character and made him watchable (and this character could've so easily veered into the "too overboard" category). Unfortunately, the film falters a bit with Lance's love interest -- Alexie Gilmore's Claire is too cutesy and the dialogue between her and Williams at times felt a tad forced.

Writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait hasn't crafted a perfect film here (I have problems with the second half as my fellow moviegoer is aware...oh, the argument that ensued in the movie theater...), but it's surprisingly moving and funny. For the first 45 minutes, I laughed (oftentimes uncomfortably) a whole lot, and the last 45, while I'm not fawning over it, wasn't at all bad.

This one's worth checking out if black comedy is your thing...it's certainly not for everyone, but it was a fun watch for me.

The RyMickey Rating: B