Un guardaespaldas escolar

I recently went to see the sneak preview Tuesday, going in I thought it'll be so-so in the humor department. This isn't a smart make you think comedy, but it had heart in the right places and it was very funny none the less. It has a few plot holes, but nothing too obvious to the viewer.

I really enjoyed watching the characters, Owen Wilson is really great at these types of comedies. In the end though I've got to say that the kids they casted really stole the show. They fit their roles perfectly.

In the end all I can say is that this movie is redemption for geeky fresh meat everywhere.

Although this silly kids' movie might not seem like it will hold your interest, give it another thought before renting something else this weekend. If you liked the sentiment behind Freaks and Geeks, you'll love it. Co-produced by Apatow Productions and co-written by Seth Rogen, there's an obvious soft spot in the film's heart for misfit kids who can't catch a break. This isn't a movie where you can root for the bad guys, and while it does make fun of the scrawny, overweight, and unmasculine, it does so with the same playful affection friends tease each other.

While starting out high school, Nate Hartley and Troy Gentile find themselves the new targets of horrible bullies Alex Frost and Josh Peck. The harassment is so terrible, and no parent or principal can help them, so they take a drastic chance in hiring a bodyguard. They interview many professionals but settle on the cheapest option: Owen Wilson. Why does he only charge $200? Because unbeknownst to the kids, he's a homeless veteran who just wants enough money to buy a ticket to Canada. Together with his other homeless pals, he plans to string the kids along and then rob them.

But since this is a family comedy, it's a safe bet that he'll find himself endeared to the kids. He does start off as a slick conman, but when he finally sees how much the kids need him, he finds a new purpose and starts taking the bodyguard job seriously. There is a brief part of the movie where Owen suggests finding common ground and making friends with the bullies, but that doesn't pan out. Sometimes, kids are bad to the bone and no amount of "conflict resolution" or loving your enemies can soften their hearts. So, don't expect everyone to have a Thanksgiving potluck together at the end of the movie.

I liked Drillbit Taylor so much more than I thought I would. I thought it was going to be far too silly and geared towards teen boys for my taste, but it was surprisingly sweet. Owen was really adorable, and it put me in the mood for the old Freaks and Geeks episodes.

I love IMDb.com. I just came here (after seeing the movie) and saw that John Hughes (using a pseudonym) was one of the writers of this movie. That makes sense, because the movie covers the awkwardness, danger and constant potential for life-ruining humiliation that is freshman year high school. Being "skinny, scared and lonely", as Drillbit Taylor puts it.

One of the other writers is the awesome Seth Rogen, co-writer & co-star of "Superbad" and co-star of "Knocked Up".

Owen Wilson is funny, sexy and heartwarming in this role. The trio of geeky lads who hire Owen as their protector are all played by wonderful young actors. The Apatow organization seems to have a genius for finding great and funny teen actors. I was especially impressed by Alex Frost (he plays the bully) who I think has stardom in his future.

The small roles of the film are filled by standup comics and "The Daily Show" alumni. Good talent all around.

The movie is not perfect. It's front-loaded -- meaning the first half has so many laughs you can't hear all the lines for the laughter. Then it suddenly slows down in the second half. It's still interesting -- just not as funny. And when you get to the violent fighting, that dries up the laughs.

Overall though, any film from the Apatow organization is going to be 6 times funnier and more inventive than the average movie comedy out there. So go have some laughs.

It's been a while since I wrote one of these but thanks mainly to Owen Wilson for another hilarious (yes and interchangeable) role, this movie was funny enough to get motivated once again.

The premise is obviously pretty simple and has been done before in both bodyguard and teen movies (Superbad and My Bodyguard come to mind...duh). The beauty of this movie it combines the two genres with Owen Wilson's natural comedic talent and three capable younger actors resulting in a mostly funny comedy that is unique from the rest.

There was an interesting metaphor contained in one of the trailers showing Drillbit telling the kids he's taking them under his wing. The reason I say this is interesting is because this is how it mostly worked for the movie's humor. It took almost 15 minutes for it to really get started. Don't get me wrong, there were some funny parts that didn't involve him like the bodyguard interviews (gotta love Frank Whaley's cameo), Ryan's rap off with the bully and the two hitting each other but the biggest laughs for me were from Owen Wilson. To be fair though, Owen was at his best when the kids were involved. I loved the way he approached this "job" with one part seriousness, one part B.S. and two parts hilarious. I was dying when he was holding up that kid's burning popsicle stick project up to the sprinklers and just the general training conversations just to illustrate that recipe.

Overall, this storyline was nothing brilliant but as in You Me and Dupree, Owen Wilson manages to take something that could be rather mediocre turning it into an enjoyable and endearing comedy. True, he really didn't do it by himself as I'd try to make you believe. I mean the way the bullies were portrayed was a very convincing and effective factor that helped sell this one as well and who could forget the lovely Leslie Mann in an interesting and sometimes funny romantic subplot. To sum it all up, if you liked the trailers you're going to like this movie. And a shout to all the people who replied in my thread that convinced me to go myself. You were right.

I'm one of those "indie-films-or-bust" type of people (with my favorite movies ranging from Amelie to the Darjeeling Limited), so when I saw the preview for Drillbit Taylor, it was an immediate turn-off for me. I saw it as boob, nuts, and ass jokes (aka crude teenage humor) and I was not excited to see it. However, an opportunity arose to see the movie well before it came out and I took the chance to see it.

To my great surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie to its fullest. Sure Owen Wilson is funny, but the kids stole the show. The crude humor was left to a minimum and the funniest lines were the really subtle ones that almost everyone missed. This movie had heart and a good message (which you don't normally see in mainstream teenage movies *excluding Juno*). Although I know it's probably not gonna make huge headlines, I feel like this movie needs more recognition than it's gonna get. I want to see this movie go big, and I'm excited to see what people say about it. So take it from me, it's funny and it's not disappointing.