World’s Greatest Dad… we see the slogan on coffee mugs, t-shirts and fake certificates, but how could someone truly know they were the world’s greatest dad? There’s no way of quantifying it… and the illustrious title comes wrapped in a bundle of bias, making it a personal, yet hollow compliment with the best of intentions. A pretty complex little conundrum, which is probably why this film’s for adults with Robin Williams as the World’s Greatest Dad… he’s not.
Robin Williams stars as Lance Clayton, a loving father, a committed teacher and a struggling writer. His form of “writer’s block” makes it so that his work keeps getting blocked from magazines, newspapers and publishing houses. To make matters worse, his ungrateful brat and only child, Kyle would make Bart Simpson blush with his repertoire of explicit language fueled by his filthy mind. When Lance finally does get his golden opportunity to become a full-time writer, ironically it’s his son, who is there to open the door and keep him on the straight-and-narrow.
This is a drama and a pretty gutsy, twisted, adult comedy too. It’s for those of us, who like their comedy black. It’s one of those awkward schoolyard dramas with mature themes like Donnie Darko, Rushmore and Charlie Bartlett, where one kid seems to be at the centre of it all. The kid in this case is Kyle, whose sudden celebrity status helps his father write his first book. The language is often filthy thanks to Kyle, the situations are quite dark and perverted… yet writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait still manages to hold onto the reins of this dark horse-drawn carriage with Robin Williams up front to help keep equilibrium.
Williams is ideal for the part of Lance and works his Robin Williams magic once again with a solid performance. He’s ably supported by a grown up Spy Kid and vastly experienced, Daryl Sabara as Kyle, who embodies the very essence of a problem child-turn-teenager. The performances are straight-up with most of the humour coming from rude wisecracks and hilarious relational shock situations rather than slapstick or witty dialogue. Any film directed by someone called Bobcat is going to be different and World’s Greatest Dad runs the gauntlet of bad taste with its head held high.
The title is completely misleading and choosing World’s Greatest Dad for Father’s Day would be about as awkward as choosing There’s Something About Mary as a first date movie. Yet, it somehow manages to pull it off. Kyle’s preoccupation with sex is normal for a teenage boy, but they just turn the taps on full blast… making his infatuation perverted and his character completely unlikable. Perhaps that’s why its so easy on the audience when he suffocates himself to death while masturbating. He becomes such a detestable brat, that it’s more of good riddance than a farewell.
World’s Greatest Dad is hugely entertaining, despite the bad language, voyeuristic interludes and pubescent nightmares. The performances are top draw and the film’s skewered comedy actually becomes quite contagious… guilty, but contagious. It’s obviously not for everyone, which is why it’s been relegated to the art circuit. Having peers like Rushmore, Donnie Darko and Charlie Bartlett will also give you an idea of it’s dark “schoolboy” slant, but it’s one of those awful, yet unmissable movies you’ve just got to see for yourself and probably by yourself too!
The bottom line: Skewered.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
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