Search - World's Greatest Dad on DVD

Refreshing, Non-Hollywood surprise

A. Stryker | Washington, DC | 08/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for the typical Hollywood, predictable, cliched, played-out comedy-drama--then this is not for you! I feel it was an artistic attempt to analyze some very disturbing trends in our society and bring them to light in a dark comedy. You will recognize some of the troubling shifts our society has undergone in the last two decades, especially if you are an educator or care at all about our young people. It also has a lot to say about how we as a nation no longer have a genuine closeness to each other, little true togetherness and far little intimacy with our friends, families and partners.

You may think am I am over analyzing or being too deep but comedy is really just an exaggerated tragedy. That's what this film is. It gets the audience to look at some of our cultural weaknesses such as narcissism, superficiality, opportunism, objectification, permissiveness, etc.

Not readily evident, it also explores the ramifications of too many years of "corporatizing" our society--how it's affected the way our schools treat people. As well the corporation has affected how we place value on each other as people.

I know that was a long review, but if you appreciate intelligent comedies this one gets at least a B+."

Not a chick flick for sure!

G. Meyers | Washington, DC United States | 02/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It amazes me how so many people with the 1 star reviews just want to, no expect to see Robin Williams in just funny slapstick comedies. His performance is right up there with "The Fisher King" yet even darker. Spoiler alert: Dad becomes famous from his dumb ass kid's death from autoerotic asphyxiation. Okay now you know what to expect. So don't rent or buy this film unless you're ready for a extremely dark comedy and I couldn't think of anyone better to pull this off than Robin."

A VERY Dark, but Funny Film

vitajex | Mpls., MN | 12/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bob Goldthwait directs this very dark comedy about a divorced struggling writer (Williams) who lives with his 15 year old son, Kyle- who is a vulgar, oversexed, ignorant, raging jerk, with no redeeming qualities. When Kyle accidentally kills himself during an over-frenzied session of auto-erotic asphyxiation, Williams cleans the scene to hide the true, shameful nature of his son's demise, complete with a suicide note to support the claim. When the school newspaper publishes the fake suicide note, it becomes something of a sensation, a call-to-arms for all lonely self-doubters. An argument could be had as to whether Williams continues the charade (producing a thoughtful, soulful 'secret' journal his son had kept) for his own egotistical desire to have his work appreciated by an audience, or whether he is comforted to have others share his grief, even when their grief is for an ideal that never truly existed. Either way, Williams initially revels in the pathos and attention lavished on him, but soon sees the myth that he created grow far too big for anyone's good.
Robin Williams' performance is strong- reserved and permeated with a quiet sense of desperate neediness, very much like his characters in 'One Hour Photo' and 'Final Cut'. When not bouncing around the screen and channeling annoying voices or characters, Williams can be an extremely sympathetic actor.
I do want to point out that there is a rather lengthy montage sequence that attempts to convey character's visions of Kyle that does not work, as it loses focus quickly, leaving a series of pointless shots of a semi-transparent Kyle standing next to other characters, resulting in what feels like a bad music video. And for the length of this montage, the film seems to stop dead.
With that said, the film is admirable for its original story and the intelligent handling of subject matter that could EASILY have veered past edgy and entered tasteless."

An Amusing Dark Comedy

Joshua Miller | Coeur d'Alene,ID | 12/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robin Williams stars in World's Greatest Dad which carries a misleading title that sounds like another family, which I can assure you could not be further from the truth. The film is a dark comedy from controversial director Bob Goldthwait and it's not afraid to bring out some true dysfunction in its characters.

Williams plays Lance Clayton, a high-school teacher thoroughly unhappy with his life. His aspirations of being a writer are dashed with every rejection letter he receives, he watches helplessly as the pretty, young teacher he's been with seems to be falling for a younger, more popular teacher, and (worst of all) his son is an unlikeable pervert. The first time we see his son Kyle (Daryl Sabara, from the Spy Kids movies), Lance has caught him attempting autoerotic asphyxiation. Everything changes when Lance finds Kyle dead from the aforementioned act and sets the scene to look like a standard suicide, along with a fake note.

It's this that puts what Goldthwait is trying for in motion. When "Kyle's" suicide note goes viral at the school, the entire student body (who once despised him) sees him as a hero. This kind of story is particularly relevant considering its release this year. Does any of this sound vaguely similar to the death of Michael Jackson?

World's Greatest Dad is certainly in a league of its own, as far as 2009-movies go. It's a dark comedy, but has just enough of a light tone to make it commercially accessible. I think I would've enjoyed it more than I did without the lighter tone, but I do appreciate the way it presents it's characters. Kyle is portrayed as an unintelligent, foul, thoroughly unlikeable character. Lance is a little more complicated; he cared about his son, but is very much driven by his own selfishness.

Williams is great here, finding a comfortable medium between his manic energy and his more subdued, quiet persona. He plays a character here that is so unhappy; he's right on the edge of sanity. It's one of the best performances I've seen from him in a while.

World's Greatest Dad is a flawed, but darkly amusing film that is frequently hilarious. It's not for all tastes and many will complain that they couldn't empathize with any of the character's, but I recommend just trying to enjoy it based on it's comedic merit. Williams' final eulogy for Kyle is nearly worth the price. While it gets tedious, I do recommend the movie as long as you're aware of what you're about to watch.

GRADE: B"