Movie Review: Drillbit Taylor – Starring Owen Wilson

Movie: Drillbit Taylor (PG-13)
Released: March 21st, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Owen Wilson, Danny R. McBride, Josh Peck, David Dorfman & Leslie Mann
Director: Steven Brill

Rating: Check it Out When it Hits the Likes of HBO or Showtime

Synopsis: Three less than cool kids are looking forward to the first day of school until they run into the school bully. Yet, they decide to hire a bodyguard to help with their problem. They do so by hiring a guy from an ad online. They’re choice, the only one they can afford, is a homeless beach dweller that convinces them he is was an Army Ranger who will train them physically and mentally to deal with the bully.

Review: Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) gives a brilliant performance in Drillbit Taylor. Well, at least in the trailer. His title character is a conman and thief, who stole my money by convincing me he was going to be funny. The tagline of the movie states, “You Get What You Pay For” and that couldn’t be further from the truth, as Wilson wasn’t funny and neither was anything else for the most part and I, most definitely, paid for some comedy. The only aspect that came close was the relationship between him and the teacher played by Leslie Mann (Knocked Up).

That might have made a better movie. It has all the romantic comedy angles: a down on his luck guy, a beautiful woman who is unlucky in love, a wacky meet-up, they fall for each other, she finds out he isn’t really a teacher, he wanted to tell her and even tried a couple of times, he does something to show he has changed for the better and isn’t that guy anymore, and they live happily ever after.

Alas, that was not the movie we got. What we did get was one unfunny bit after another, but it did have heart. Which made it strange. You wanted to see the freaks and geeks win. You were rooting for them and happy when they finally overcame. It just wasn’t funny.

Judd Apatow, the writer/director of hits like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, takes the executive producer role here. He may want to stick to putting out his own stuff, because a few more like this attached to his name could tarnish his current king of movie comedy crown. One of the writers of this is Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) who was also one of the writers of last year’s Superbad. It looks as he has gone to the high school comedy well one time too many. This producing/writing team will be seen later this year in Pineapple Express. Can’t say I am looking forward to that one and after having seen the trailer, it looks like downward spiral into un-funniness continues.

Overall, Drillbit Taylor is worth checking out someday when boredom strikes late on a Sunday night and you are flipping through the movie channels looking for something to watch. Unfortunately, it won’t cure the boredom, but it may help you get to sleep.

Well, let us know what you thought of Drillbit Taylor.