Review of World's Greatest Dad (2009) by Lauren A — 13 Oct 2010

In "World's Greatest Dad," Lance Clayton(Robin Williams), an English teacher, is a frustrated writer who has had four novels rejected by publishers with number five on the way. To add insult to injury, Mike Lane(Henry Simmons), a fellow teacher, has just had a story published in the New Yorker on the first try. Lance's son Kyle(Daryl Sabara) attends the same high school his father teaches at and has a disturbing taste in pornography, is homophobic, in desperate need of sensitivity training and one step away from special education. Kyle's only friend is Andrew(Evan Martin). At least Lance has a girlfriend, Claire(Alexie Gilmore), who is taller and much younger.

"World's Greatest Dad" is an ironic, amusing and intermittently outright funny black tragicomedy that does not really cover any new territory. Just so we are clear, the movie does not target tragedy, but the reactions afterward, which in this case is how religions get started. A large part of the movie's appeal comes from its sympathy for its characters which is reinforced by a controlled performance from Robin Williams, in what is more a character turn than anything else, as a man who acts out of love at first, more than earning the movie its title. And it is the one movie where the lead character needs to be a writer. Along the way, it also tackles status and where better to do that than a high school? I especially loved the final statement of being alone is not the worst thing that can happen, but being with people who make you feel alone is.