Wilson

When titular anti-hero Wilson (Woody Harrelson) says suburbia is a "living death," he could also be talking about himself as a curmudgeon dissing everyone he sees while crying for the family life he's never had. That extreme tonal shift characterizes his bifurcated personality and the film itself.

In other words, this film is so deaf that it is almost impossible to see it as the comedy the producers would like us to experience. Although Harrelson brings his patented innocent bad-boy persona, he can't save the result from mediocre dialogue and inscrutable characterization.

As it all begins, Wilson's voice-over is larded with misanthropy spread over the landscape from a sweet dog lover (Sandy Olan) to any young person he meets, except his long lost daughter, Claire (Isabella Amara). The latter supposedly transforms his life after he seeks her out.

Fawning over his indifferent daughter emphasizes his lack of insight, despite his constant chatter about his disappointment with modern life, frequently spot on, if not unkind. His attempt to reunite with his estimable former wife, Pippi (Laura Dern), shows the other side of solid insight. By the end of the film, I felt I was battered from one side of the ring to the other with no real winner and a definite loser in Wilson.

Jack Nicholson did a remarkable job as a reforming curmudgeon in About Schmidt, as did a score of fine actors playing Scrooge. The film Wilson just doesn't fit because it lacks character focus. That Woody brings the requisite jaded innocence is a given; that the screenplay gives him nothing to hang the character on is a flaw in an otherwise interesting concept about the middle-aged pessimist turned optimist.

Because this film is adapted by the graphic novelist, Daniel Clowes, who created the protagonist, it's fair to say Clowes caught the cartoon-like irony of the comic book but lost the sense of character consistency so much a hallmark of a mature novel set to film. If you want bleak and dark with a light touch, the work of Todd Solondz would fit your needs. Clowes not so much.

In 1944, legendary Hollywood producer Daryl F. Zanuck made a movie called "Wilson", a biopic about our highly educated, dignified and visionary 28th President – and the film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. 2017's "Wilson" (R, 1:34) is NOT a remake of that film. Not even a little. The more recent "Wilson" is also not a spin-off of "Cast Away". The title character in 2017's "Wilson" doesn't have any of the qualities of that President who led us through World War I and who established the forerunner of the United Nations (except maybe for… honesty). And this Wilson has much more personality that Tom Hanks' famous volleyball buddy. This Wilson is more like a less volatile cousin of Michael Douglas' character in 1993's "Falling Down"… and is like a half-brother to Bill Murray's character in 2014's "St. Vincent". But, notwithstanding those cinematic comparisons, "Wilson", as portrayed by Woody Harrelson, is an original and unique character and one who I wish I could be like… sometimes.

Wilson is a lonely middle-aged man with a lot of faults, but he doesn't mean any harm. Wilson is honest… to a fault. He's impulsive… to a fault. He's even empathetic… to… well, you get the point. You see, it's Wilson's world and we're just living in it. He'll stop a stranger walking her dog, talk only to the dog – in a cutesy animal voice – and then act confused when the woman yanks her dog away and looks at Wilson like he's a weirdo. Wilson will ride a virtually empty train, sit right next to a businessman wearing earbuds, interrogate him about his life and not feel the least bit uncomfortable when the man forcefully asks Wilson to go sit somewhere else. Wilson is also the kind of person who will go visit an old friend in hopes of renewing their relationship but then change his mind and calmly tell his friend that he had forgotten what a joyless and unkind person his friend really is. But in spite of all this, the most important thing to know about Wilson is that he just wants to be loved… on his own terms, of course.

One fine day, Wilson decides to go looking for his ex-wife, Pippi (Laura Dern). He remembers Pippi as basically a crack whore – and that's how he describes her to everyone he encounters who he thinks might know her. With the help of Pippi's very WASPy sister (Cheryl Hines), Wilson is able to track Pippi down to her waitress job, where she is using a different name, but is still kind of a mess. Pippi is none too happy to see Wilson – or to endure the problems that his presence causes for her at work – but she still falls right back into bed with him. That's when she reveals that she had Wilson's baby sixteen years before and put her up for adoption. Wilson is beyond excited that he's a father and talks Pippi into coming with him to find their daughter, a surly, heavy-set girl named Claire (Isabella Amara). Claire lives with upper-middle-class adopted parents who neglect her… but she's still not thrilled to meet and be stalked by Wilson and Pippi. Nevertheless, Wilson is thrilled to have an "instant family" and won't give up on Pippi or Claire. And with a man like Wilson driving this train… what could possibly go wrong?? "Wilson" is wonderfully crude, funny and heart-felt. Wilson acts like we all wish we could act… sometimes. Personally, I envy his fearlessness and his ability to be himself and not care what other people think. Of course, he's also a jerk, he knows it and he doesn't care, so that part… not quite as admirable. In adapting his own innovative graphic novel of the same name, American cartoonist Daniel Clowes gives us a fully-drawn character who never really changes who he is as a person, but who still manages some growth. As directed by Craig Johnson ("The Skeleton Twins") and starring the versatile Harrelson, we get a fully realized character who is equal parts funny and obnoxious, but who still comes off as sympathetic. Besides the usual great work by the star, Dern gives a transformative performance and Amara shines in her most significant role to date. Margo Martindale, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Brett Gelman and (especially) Judy Greer contribute strong supporting performances. "Wilson" is an enjoyable foray into an uninhibited mind – and a reminder why we wouldn't really want to live that way. "A-"

This film tells the story of a man who believes in human communication through conversation and physical interaction. People think he is a weirdo, but all he really wants is to connect with another soul, and be remembered by after he leaves the mortal world.

"Wilson" sounds like a silly and forgettable comedy, but it actually is way seller and thought provoking than it appears. It points out the fact that people being nice to each other unconditionally is a forgotten art, and even socially unacceptable in some circumstances. Wilson's deep desire to connect with others certainly connected and resonated with me, and I find myself reflecting upon the current state of human interaction in the modern world. The story is bittersweet, and I really enjoyed it. It's a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

A slice of life is how I describe these movies, where one sees the common and mundane in a certain context.

Wilson is the story of an average misunderstood man from another time who is shown as hurting and caring but perseveres to try and find meaning in his otherwise drab existence. An average man who, by today's standards, is the bogeyman but as this poster can attest, speaks of an era where people were unique and opinionated instead of self-absorbed and indifferent.

I am looking forward to a second viewing to further see the depth of Harrelson's Wilson. And if there are other Clowes/Eightball fans out there who haven't seen Wilson yet, I recommend it. I also hope The Death-Ray and Ice Haven are made into movies.

A close view to people they try manage their unbearable lives. An interesting scenario with turns and Woody as always great, simple and to the point. Good playing of the cast. When everything is lost, always there is something, even fake,that gives meaning to our lives. A good film makes you search deeper. Not for under 15.