Drilling for laughs (Drillbit Taylor (DVD))

Member Name: Ailran

Product:	Drillbit Taylor (DVD)
Date:	28/06/09 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wilson is ok, the boys are quite good, a couple of scenes

Disadvantages: The story and entertainment value of the movie

Drillbit Taylor is yet another comedy from the Apatow/Rogen stable (Superbad/Knocked Off) although they have very little involvement in it compared to their previous successes.

Starring Owen Wilson as our eponymous hero Drillbit Taylor the movie tells the everyday tale of three boys who are being tormented at their new school by an older bully. Unable to fight back, due to being fat, extremely skinny and very, very small respectively) they decide that they advertise for a bodyguard.
They get a number of responses and interview them in a coffee shop. Eventually they choose the charming and touch Drillbit, an ex-army man who was discharged for illegal heroism (turning down in the process Chuck Liddell, an ex UFC Fighting Champion, Adam Baldwin of Serenity/Firefly and My Bodyguard (an 80's film with a similar theme) and Frank Whalley from Pulp Fiction & No Vacancy)

What the three boys don't realise is that Drillbit, while being ex-army, is now a homeless panhandler who sees them as his best way of getting enough money to start a new life in Canada.
Will his unusual techniques and advice help the boys in their bid to fit in or will he make their lives even more miserable than they already are?

Drillbit Taylor is an ok movie with moments of hilarious genius. Like Knocked Up it also cleverly sits on the fence between two genres. It isn't totally a teen school comedy (all the sections with the trio being bullied) or a normal comedy/Rom Com (the bits with Owen Wilson alone or with the female teacher he takes a shine to).
This mixing up is what makes Drillbit a reasonably entertaining movie. Like Knocked Up the use of two genres of comedy means you never get lulled into the routine of your expectations. You, as the viewer, are constantly kept on your toes as the comedy switches between the types.

Owen Wilson is one of my favourite actors. He has that cheeky, comedic charm to him that I love. This is an unusual choice for him though as it isn't the kind of movie you normally see him in. Maybe though that is the point, to further show the differences between the comedy strands.

The three boys are good but in general they don't really have to do much. The main thing that is immediately noticeable about the three of them though is that, if you have seen Superbad, they have the same body types and attitudes as the three main characters from said film. You can almost visualise the three of them as younger versions of the Superbad guys.

Alex Frost as the bully is great. He manages to get across the sneering and nastiness of a bully with ease. He is a major character in the film and he needed to get across to the viewers for the whole story to hang together. More importantly without a believable bully the idea of the kids hiring a bodyguard really wouldn't have worked.

Drillbit Taylor has some great scenes, a 'rap off' and the big fight scenes are both superb and I would defy anyone not to be laughing while watching wither of them. Despite these two great scenes though the film is in general just ok. After the brilliance of Knocked Up and the surprising 'goodness' of Superbad Drillbit Taylor was the first of the Apatow movies to not really hit the big heights. It certainly doesn't deserve to be a must see movie but, while being a disappointment compared to the others, it is a fun and enjoyable little comedy romp.

If you like Owen Wilson it is certainly worth a watch but not one to make a priority. Watch it when it comes on TV but don't actually bother paying to view it.

Summary: Schoolboys hire down and out as a bodyguard