Review of World's Greatest Dad (2009) by Paul S — 24 Sep 2011

The sci-fi western Firefly is one of my favorite TV shows, if not my all time favorite. My favorite line from my favorite episode comes from Mal who says: "it's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of son of a bitch or another. It ain't about you, it's about what they need." But I'm not here to talk about Firefly. So what relevance does that quote have? More than you might think. On the surface Worlds Greatest Dad is a pitch black comedy about how a man profits from the death of his son. On a deeper level, it's an interesting study on the true nature of the people we turn into heroes.

Kyle Clayton (Daryl Sabara) is an underachieving, foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed, antisocial, disrespectful, and genuinely unlikable 15 year-old. His father Lance (Robin Williams) is a socially awkward unpublished author who teaches poetry at Kyle's school. Neither of them is particularly likeable, but you end up sympathizing for Lance somewhat, if only for the fact that he gets so much abuse from his son.

The relationship between the two is violent to say the least. Kyle verbally and emotionally slanders his father, and Lance is too timid to speak back. I would say Sabara was overacting, were it not for the fact that I've known teenagers who behave exactly like him. You don't have to deal with him for too long though, as shortly into the movie Kyle accidentally dies by choking himself while masturbating to photos of Lance's girlfriend.

This is where the movie gets interesting. On a whim, Lance positions Kyle's body to make it look like a suicide, and writes a suicide letter. The note leaks onto the Internet and is read by the entire student body. With its popularity Lance releases Kyle's journal, also written by him. In life Kyle was the most hated student in school, in death he becomes a hero. People who never knew Kyle claim to have been close to him. Students start wearing t-shirts with the words "What Would Kyle Do?" May seem a little excessive, but think about all the people who wear Che Guevara shirts and have no idea who he was or what he stood for.

We like to create heroes in people (especially posthumously) it's our nature as humans. Many of our heroes are probably undeserving of their praise. But is this inherently a bad thing? One student comes up to Lance and tells him that he was thinking about killing himself, but reading Kyle's "journal" helped him get through his depression. Do the ends justify the means? At the same time, there is an interesting critique on literary publishing in that Kyle's journal becomes such a success, when all of Lance's previous works were rejected.

The film is not without it's problems. Williams's performance, while superb the majority of the time, can start to feel a little hammy during some of the more dramatic moments. It's also clearly the work of an amateur director, and it can feel a bit clunky at times. Then there's the ending. Now I have mixed feelings about this part. On the one hand, it seems too contrived and theatrical. On the other hand, it worked well enough for what it was and I'm not sure I would change much were the project in my hands. The film as a whole was very thought provoking for me. It's not always a pleasant film to watch, and in fact it can get downright miserable sometimes. Not all of it worked, but I admire how bold and unconventional it is. Even though it never provides definitive answers, it asks some very interesting questions.

Highlights.

Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait.

Screenplay by: Bobcat Goldthwait.

Starring: Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Evan Martin.

Pros: An admirable boldness and thought provoking subject matter.

Cons: Clearly the work of an amateur director, a climax that's a bit too theatrical.

Rated: R for crass sexual material, a scene of male nudity, strong language and crude sexual talk, some disturbing images.

Should You See it?: If you're not turned off by the dark subject it's interesting and at times very funny.