Drillbit Taylor

Drillbit Taylor (2008) starring Owen Wilson, Ian Roberts, Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, and Alex Frost.

So beforehand...I had heard mixed reviews about this film. Some people found it hilarious some people found it truly atrocious...to put it bluntly it was a marmite movie, or at least that is the general consensus I got from it. Owen Wilson generally is great in any movie he is in, in my view. So I was expecting a run of the mill comedy.

The film is based around three boys (Roberts, Gentile, Hartley) who are going into High School for the first time. They start to be bullied by an older boy (Frost) who is an unrelenting bastard, continually verbally and physically abusing them. The boys decide to get help from who they think is a bodyguard, Drillbit Taylor (Wilson), but who actually is a bum. Cue him going into the school to try and prevent them from being beaten up.

The acting in the film is good. The boys are onscreen for the majority of the movie and they do an excellent job with both the humour of the text and reality of the text. Friskin the bully also plays his role excellently, as you really begin to hate his character. For me the problem was Wilson, his character not only was raher grating at times, also had a weird moral compass. The concept that he feels it is alright to beat someone up as long as they are 18 for me doesn't seem right, and it made me dislike his character.

The plot is obvious and at times clichéd but the script, written by Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), is fresh and at times vey funny. As I said most of what is encompassed when the 3 boys are on screen, particularly the chemistry between Roberts and Gentile. They both have an excellent onscreen relationship and play off each other very well. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years these two become part of the new generation of american comedy.

Overall this film left me feeling underwhelmed. Considering it is an Owen Wilson movie I expected better. Wilson is at his best when he is partnered with either Wes Anderson or Ben Stiller. Lets hope in future he stays on that road, because it is he that let this movie down for me.

★★☆☆☆