Synopsis: In World’s Greatest Dad, a man who always wanted to be something more than he became gets his chance after a freak accident, but what he expected is not what he ends up getting.
Release Date: August 21, 2009 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Comedy, Dark Comedy
Film Review
Production
You may walk into World’s Greatest Dad with high hopes. It does have Robin Williams as its star and Bobcat Goldthwait, a comedian, as the director/writer. Those are decent odds when it comes to a comedy. They missed the mark on World’s Greatest Dad, though. It has its moments but its essentially really boring. The story throws you for a loop – I will give it that but nothing more. Happily sitting through the whole movie is highly unlikely.
Acting
To get very much to the matter at hand, most of the acting in World’s Greatest Dad is done as one would expect. Then there is the performance by Daryl Sabara as Kyle. This kid is meant to be obnoxious, annoying, disgusting and detestable. He pulls it off without a doubt, but in the wrong way. His performance is painful to watch. The sound of his voice cracking as he says his lines, or whining at his father at a vocal level that could make you cry in agony. He may not be in World’s Greatest Dad for all that long but his presence and the horror of the performance is felt long after he is gone. After experiencing him everyone else’s performance has Oscar written all over them.
Comedy Factor
If you can take a very dark comedy, very dark; so dark the comedy is almost invisible, then you will laugh in World’s Greatest Dad. There are some great one-liners hidden throughout. It is very hard to switch from the dark shadow that encompasses most of the film to remember it is ok to laugh. Somewhere deep down that is the point. That point does not come across so clearly at all times, if ever really.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Bob Goldthwait
- Producer(s): Sean McKittrick, Tim Perell, Bobcat Goldthwait
- Screenwriter(s): Bobcat Goldthwait
- Cast: Robin Williams (Lance Clayton), Daryl Sabara (Kyle), Alexie Gilmore (Claire)
- Editor(s): Jason Stewart
- Cinematographer: Horacio Marquinez
- Production Designer(s): John Paino
- Country Of Origin: USA
