Drillbit Taylor: Movie Review (2008)

Directed by Stephen Brill, written by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen, 102 minutes, rated PG-13.

Stephen Brill’s new comedy, “Drillbit Taylor,” knows a few things about bullies, most of which we already know--all of which bear repeating.

For instance, the movie understands that for the most part, the average bully is a weak little miscreant whose fists and tough talk, when pressed into a corner by the real thing, pack the punch of a feather. On the other hand, it also knows that not all bullies are created equal and that some are so sociopathic, drastic measures must be taken to get them under control.

What measures? When school administrators aren’t willing to protect those being bullied, protecting yourself can take some doing, even if the methods for promoting change can be extreme.

Witness, for example, what happens to bespectacled Wade (Nate Hartley), heavy-set Ryan (Troy Gentile) and stunted Emmit (David Dorfman) when they are targeted by the bully Filkins (Alex Frost) during their first days at high school. For no reason other than the fact that these kids aren’t conventionally hip, Filkins makes it his mission to make their lives miserable.

Along with his cruel sidekick, Ronnie (Josh Peck), Filkins terrorizes the boys, so much so that they decide to pool their money and hire a bodyguard. After a string of amusing interviews with people they can’t afford, the person they choose is the homeless huckster Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), who tells them what they want to hear (“I’m an ex-Army Ranger”), but who only is here to scam these kids out of their allowances.

Still, as Filkins’ violence escalates, Drillbit predictably softens and decides to help these kids learn to fight for themselves. The problem is that he isn’t exactly adept at teaching anyone how to fight, which leads to all sorts of complication best left for the screen.

While the movie shares much in common with Judd Apatow’s “Superbad,” there’s a reason--Apatow produced “Taylor,” which mirrors Apatow’s “Knocked Up” in that it also stars his real-life wife Leslie Mann. Here, Mann is an English teacher who develops a crush on Drillbit when he infiltrates the school as a substitute teacher. Mann is one of the best comic actresses working, but here, she’s sorely underused.

Fortunately, the same can’t be said for Hartley, Dorfman and the very likable Gentile, who rise above the so-so material and make it a lot funnier than it might have been otherwise. As for Wilson, he’s good, coming through with exactly the sort of safe performance you expect from him, and yet in spite of the movie being named after his character, “Drillbit Taylor” oddly could have done without him. The movie succeeds because you pull for these three picked-upon kids, who give the movie an energy and an edge that Wilson fails to match.

Grade: B-

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