Movie Review for Drillbit Taylor (2008)

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Review #624 of 365
Movie Review of Drillbit Taylor (2008) [PG-13] 102 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.00
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver West Village Stadium 12, Golden, CO
When Seen: 23 March 2008
Time: 11:15 am
DVD Release Date: 1 July 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer

Soundtrack: order the CD below

Directed by: Steven Brill (Without a Paddle)
Screenplay by: Kristofor Brown ("The Stones") • Seth Rogen (Superbad) with story by John Hughes, Kristofor Brown, and Seth Rogen

Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Owen Wilson (Night at the Museum) • Nate Hartley ("Unfabulous") • Troy Gentile (Good Luck Chuck) • David Dorfman (The Ring Two ) • Alex Frost (The Standard) • Josh Peck ("Drake & Josh") • Danny R. McBride (The Heartbreak Kid) • Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) • Stephen Root (Over Her Dead Body)

Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
With all due respect to the Judd Apatow fan club which seems to be green-lighting everything and anything he touches, there comes a time when all good things either come to an end or become saturated and weary. Unfortunately, after huge success with great winners like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Knocked Up (sorry Superbad was not really that great), Drillbit Taylor comes along to sink the cruise liner. This film wouldn't be considered that great even if it didn't have to be compared to its predecessors. Part of the problem though is not only that the comparisons must be drawn, but that the plot, the characters, and even the character actors who seem to need to be in every Apatow film, seems to be recycled from previous films and all thrown together in this film to see if they don't knock each other off one by one, in other words, 'derivative Apatow'.

The story, set in a random California, high school, concerns two best friends: one a slender, weakling nerd named Wade (Nate Hartley) and his pudgy side kick Ryan (Troy Gentile) as they start out at the bottom of the pecking order. Does this sort of sound familiar to Superbad fans? No sooner do the two show up for their first day wearing the same Hot Topic devil-themed, mock bowling shirt than they run into Filkins (Alex Frost) and his sidekick Ronnie (Josh Peck) the school's worst bullies. They cross Filkins when Wade sticks up for a physically little guy named Emmit (David Dorfman) as he's being stuffed in a locker by Filkins.

…seems to be recycled from previous films and all thrown together in this film to see if they don't knock each other off one by one, in other words, 'derivative Apatow'.
Filkins vows to make their lives henceforth barely worth living. They are so afraid, they do what every other logical kid does these days, they turned to the Internet to find and acquire a bodyguard for protection at school. Sort of by accident, a scoundrel without a home and in need of $300 to immigrate to Canada, stumbles upon the boys and instantly charms them into believing he's their man. The next thing they know, Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson) is ready at their side. Posing as a substitute teacher, he infiltrates the school and sets in motion a fairly predictable turn of events: the boys discover their own inner strength, another teacher falls for him thinking he's all that he's not, two bullies are brought to justice, and Drillbit, of course, learns that he is not quite the scoundrel his other friends without homes believe him to be.

While decidedly more mature than either the plot and the general themes of Superbad probably because these kids are a bit younger, nonetheless, the films bear some too much resemblance with similar themes and the worst being the nearly identical main characters. Only, the young actors, despite being nice young men, were not even close to the caliber, acting-wise, of their Superbad counter parts. Likewise, it's unclear why on earth Owen Wilson would take this part as there's nothing in it for him that we've not seen in You, Me & Dupree or Wedding Crashers. Truth be told, he needs a genuinely solid drama to resuscitate his flagging career. He could be one of the better and most memorable actors of our time if he would either be given or select roles more worthy of his considerable talent the likes of which we only glimpsed in The Darjeeling Limited, for example. Stephen Root and Danny McBride need to go on long vacations and quit popping up in Judd Apatow films. Probably, actually, it's Alex Frost who stands out best in this case demonstrating the capacity to smile through a sneer as only Edward Norton can do better. As for the quality of the plot, it's not horrendous. It's just not that great either. The film has a few comedic moments and some cathartic ones as well but none that made the story worthy of a major motion picture treatment.

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Other Projects Featuring Drillbit Taylor (2008)
Cast Members
Owen Wilson • Nate Hartley • Troy Gentile
David Dorfman • Alex Frost • Josh Peck
Danny R. McBride • Leslie Mann • Stephen Root
Director
Steven Brill
Writers
Kristofor Brown • Seth Rogen
DVD
VHS
Review-lite Drillbit Taylor (2008) [max of 150 words]
With respect to the Apatow fan club, there comes a time when all great things come to an end or become saturated. This latest film, Drillbit Taylor, directed by Steven Brill, represents just that point. Set in a random California, high school, the story surrounds two best friends: one a nerd Wade (Nate Hartley) and his pudgy side kick Ryan (Troy Gentile) as they start out at the bottom of the pecking order. Does this sort of sound familiar to Superbad fans? After attracting the attention of school bully, Filkins (Alex Frost), they acquire a bodyguard. Enter Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson). Posing as a substitute teacher, he infiltrates the school setting in motion a series of predictable events: the boys discover their inner strength, another teacher falls for him thinking he's all that he's not, two bullies are brought to justice, and Drillbit, of course, learns that he is not quite a scoundrel. The film has a few comedic moments and some cathartic ones as well but none that made the story worthy of a major motion picture treatment.
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