Mr. Woodcock

Susan Sarandon looked fine, in fact great for her character. I thought the movie was funny and just plain entertaining.

I liked the broad humor as well as the occasional slapstick bit. In addition, there was some social/philosophical commentary that went well with the light tone of the movie.

Although the 'Cornival' was a bit corny, that was the point. John, Mr. Woodcock's nemesis, was searching for a connection with his roots and eventually realized that he was more disconnected than he thought, having to change his general outlook and his relationships with the people he most cared about.

I was so excited to see Mr. Woodcock today, saw the matinée this morning and I have to say that Mr. Woodcock lived up to my expectations. It was a great comedy to watch and had a lot of fun laughs. I think the reason why I love this film so much is because I could totally relate to it, in junior high I was the fat kid and had the teacher who must have been the partner of Satan, he was evil. I've changed quite a bit since then, but I still think of that teacher every once in a while. So this was just such a good comedy for everyone who has had to deal with a gym teacher like Mr. Woodcock. The actors seemed to really enjoy themselves, it was cool seeing Sean William Scott out of his normal idiotic roles and into something where he just was a normal guy, he did good. Billy Bob Thorton couldn't have been a more perfect choice, he was terrific. Together they really made the story work and was actually believable.

John Farley is a very successful author of the book "Letting Go", a book on how to let go of a rough past and rebuild your life. He comes back home to surprise his mom and get a special award for his work, but he finds out his mom is dating someone he knows. Mr. Woodcock, the evil junior high gym teacher that made John's life a living hell; and it looks like Mr. Woodcock has not changed his ways when he starts to treat "Farley" the same way he did when he was a kid. But it looks like they have to get comfortable with each other since Mr. Woodcock is marrying John's mom.

The cast looked like they just had a great time. I know this story was extremely predictable, but it was all in good fun. I loved seeing John's character just loose it as the story continued. There were some really great laughs in the film, the scene that got me was definitely the pot hole scene, I'm not going to spoil it, but I guarantee you for sure that you'll get a huge laugh once you see it. Mr. Woodcock is a fun comedy that I recommend, Billy Bob is just an awesome Mr. Woodcock, he really made the movie into a blast.

7/10

"Take a lap!" "Set of 10!"

With a name like W-o-o-d-c-o-c-k (roll it off your tongue slowly for maximum effect), you'd have expect the jokes to come fast and furious about the appendage. Well there are, however, the best parts of Mr Woodcock are not the sexual innuendos, but come from the various gymnasium scenes, where Jasper Woodcock (Billy Bob Thorton) the PE teacher runs his classes like a sadistic drill sergeant, and all the misfits tremble in fear and loathe as he puts them through the paces, with physical, mental and emotional abuse dished out in deadpan manner. The filmmakers know this, and set the bar high enough from the get go, but only for the movie to spiral in the general southwards direction.

Thirteen years after his unforgettable years of growing up under Mr Woodcock's insults, John Farley (Seann William Scott) becomes a renowned self help guru and published a bestseller called "Letting Go: How to Get Past Your Past", because it takes one successful loser to teach the rest how to move on. During a journey back home where you're hit with a barrage of literally corny jokes, John realizes to his horror that his mother Beverly (Susan Sarandon) is now dating Mr Woodcock, and he makes it his mission to dissuade her from giving him a new stepdad, one who has been the bane of his childhood.

That basically becomes the premise of the movie, and a highly predictable one at that. You'll see from a mile away every conceivable plot development coming toward you, and it doesn't help that the short run time of under 90 minutes probably meant some material were reserved for the DVD release. You can tell by some of the continuity errors, helped in no part by John's bad haircut episode.

Billy Bob Thorton owns the movie as Woodcock, delivery his deliciously acidic remarks with aplomb. Alpha-male type roles are nothing new to Thorton, and bullying or whipping losers to shape are part of the game, just like School for Scoundrels. And here he plays the unapologetic teacher with EQ problems, taking perverse delight in seeing his charges suffer. Sean William Scott is better known unfortunately for his loud and over the top Stifler from the American Pie movies, but given a rather muted character like John Farley, he fades away quicker than you can spell l-o-s-e-r. Susan Sarandon rounds up the lead cast as the woman caught between two men, and frankly I thought it was like an extension of her mother's role in Elizabethtown. Look out for more Sarandon in an upcoming movie called Enchanted, which takes the mickey out of a Disney movie. Most of the other supporting cast like Amy Poehler and Ethan Suplee got wasted, with the former being a self-professed alcoholic Barbie doll, while the other a fanatic who had read John's book 900 times and counting.

Mr Woodcock isn't laugh out loud or laugh a minute, but it has its moments. Sadly, most of the best bits made their way to the trailers, making the movie seem like an empty shell. And given the editing fiasco of late, Mr Woodcock suffers from censorship too, with what I thought was just verbal expressions of ecstasy being snipped off and left on the cutting room floor. Pity.

Self-help guru who hated his gym teacher goes home to find his mom engaged to said teacher, stilted merriment tries to ensue. The idea is sound the execution isn't. Woodcock, Billy Bob Thorton's gym teacher character is much too one dimensional to really work since he has one expression the whole time. Sean William Scott as the self help guru tries too hard to be wacky and falls on his face. Actually the script just doesn't work since its so obvious where its going. There are laughs and smiles despite of the lack of it all hanging together, and one "Whoa" nervous "oh crap he really got hurt" laugh towards the end. Worth a look on a slow night on cable where you'll be more forgiving of the dull bits on the way to the good ones.

Its an average movie, its not that great but it isn't bad also. It has some funny moments but I expected a non stop laughing comedy but it wasn't. The story about John Farley a man Who as a kid was a little overweight and received the abuse of his gym teacher, returns to his hometown just to notice that his mother is dating the same gym teacher , he will try everything to break up the relationship. The cast is very good. Billy Bob Thornton in a role that fits him like a glove but that has been repeating for the last three movies. Susan Sarandon is good, her performance is quite regular. Sean William Scott was OK, a performance that wasn't developed to the 100%. Amy Poehler role as a neurotic and alcoholic manager was really funny. In general this is a movie that you will enjoy but its not the best option to spend a good time. Watch it if you don't have a better thing to do