Drillbit Taylor

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.

Drillbit Taylor is the latest Apatow/Frat Pack movie. It isn't great and it isn't awful. Rogen's screenplay disappointed me, he did such a good job on Superbad. This movie will be compared to Superbad and rightfully so. It basically serves as a prelude to Superbad. Owen Wilson does his usual. Wilson's charm and improv skills keep this movie afloat. I think that if this movie was rated R it would have fared better with reviews and box office performance. Overall though its a must see for Frat Pack fans and Wilson fans. I also wish Owen well in his upcoming projects and i hope he is well on the road to recovery.

6/10

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 fully intended to not like this movie. I received free tickets from work and took my two boys because I thought they would like it. Owen Wilson was funny and sweet (and looks pretty good naked!) I didn't recognize the three young boys but they were great in their roles. Owen Wilson and Josh Peck were the only two actors I recognized. But I can see the other three boys being cast in other movies like this. They were believable in their roles (as much as the idea of kid's hiring bodyguards could be, on par with missing the plane and staying HOME ALONE. I was pleasantly surprised. All of the actors were great and I was surprised at how the time flew. The ending surprised me it wasn't what I expected at all! I would definitely recommend this movie. Enjoy!

'Drilbit Taylor' is a teen movie that revolves around three highschool students being bullied and in order to protect themselves they plan to hire a bodyguard. The film has its own charm and is quite likable thanks mostly to Wilson's chemistry with the three teens. Another thing I liked about this movie is that it wasn't overloaded with sex and crudeness which seems to be a forced compulsory requirement of every teen movie these days (a recent example being the awful 'Superbad'). The teen actors, Nate Hartley and Troy Gentile are very good. Hartley particularly gives a natural performance. Owen Wilson uses his superb comic timing and does nothing short of great. What I didn't like about 'Drilbit Taylor' is that it tends to go unnecessarily over the top with some sequences and the fight scene in the end is a little too violent. The bullying scenes were meant to be funny (at least that's the impression I got given the background score and the way it was executed) but with me they had the opposite effect and I wonder how kids who are actually bullied would feel after watching such scenes being used as comic relief. However on the other hand, it might be uplifting to them as the point of the movie was to stand up for oneself and his friends. Anyway, 'Drilbit Taylor' is fun entertainment. Not the best of its kind but still good enough.