Fat Kid Rules the World

I haven't yet seen this yet, but in response to the review on Mathew Lillard, I did not realize people got beef with him. I think he's a great actor and all the friends I've known throughout life, has nothing but positive stuff to say about him. Of course, this was the 90s and I was a teenager at the time. I first discovered him in the movie Scream and I did enjoy him and the movie a lot! Once again, I was a teenager and this was the mid-90s. Then again, I thought he was AMAZING in SLC Punk. That used to be one of my favorite films when it came out and its been years since I've seen it. Then my bf and I watched it a few months ago, and its been forever... I forgot how well-written that film was and Lillard's performance was perfect! The only reason I would think anyone has issues with that guy is because he's not a mainstream actor and he lost his popularity in the 90s. And we all know how 'uncool' it is to like 90s actors. The only 90s actor who became popular, years after his time, is Paul Rudd. =]

I'll always think of Matthew Lillard as Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo movies of my childhood and that laid back personality seems to be fed into his hard work too. Fat Kid Rules The World is a real indie treat. Although it takes on the tired high school archetype (not alone in freshening it up with the delightful 21 Jump Street this year), it's about the characters as people, not as stereotypes. It's the protagonist Troy, played by Jacob Wysocki, who makes the journey worthwhile. He's wonderfully relatable in his self-deprecating fantasies and bursts of teenage horniness. Here he finds not only direction in life but someone to share it with too. It's a great feel-good archetype that this film really makes work with its great soundtrack and sense of humour. Although perhaps Matt O'Leary's Marcus feels a little too contrived in his role to fit in the Kurt Cobain grunge rocker who throws far too much kindness onto Troy than is believable, the film otherwise makes great use of its side characters, particularly Troy's father, the army type with surprising compassion. Unfortunately the film suffers from indie cinema traits of flat cinematography and lighting which does weigh the film down quite a bit but otherwise it's one of the most watchable films of the year.

7/10

Troy is an obese lonely video-gamer loser in school. He lives with his father (Billy Campbell) and brother. He tries to kill himself by stepping in front of a bus and he's saved by Marcus. Marcus is an unreliable homeless school drop-out guitarist. Even his bandmates have kicked him out. Marcus starts using Troy for a place to stay and food to eat while claiming to start a band with him. Troy maintains his friendship with Marcus despite his father's reservations. Troy is a hormonal teen in love with Marcus' friend Isabelle (Lili Simmons).

Marcus is really annoying at the beginning. It takes a long time before he shows any signs of passing friendship with Troy. He does grow as a character and the friendship becomes more. Troy is a really passive person but he also grows too. The father is interesting because he's not yet another clueless adult in a teen movie. It's a slow start but it gets better. It's pretty good work for Matthew Lillard's directorial debut.

First, let me say, congratulations to Jacob Wysocki for a wonderful performance in FKRtW. His Bath Boys history on YouTube has allowed for many doors to open -- and luckily for us, this is one of the doors that opens and reveals his talents.

When it comes to the story, I was absolutely engaged and excited to experience that trials and tribulations of Troy, even if sometimes they weren't pretty or euphoric, whereas Matt O'Leary I felt as miscast. His struggles weren't believable and I felt almost took away from overall story. It was almost as if the actor was trying to glorify Matthew Lillard's (who also directed) performance in Scream.

If it weren't for Mr. Wysocki or Billy Campbell (who plays the role of Troy's father brilliantly) or even the small role of Dayle (played by Dylan Arnold) then this would've been a huge miss.

Overall, the movie was fantastic. However, due the a very cheesy ending, this otherwise 9/10 film gets 7/10 from me.

Jacob Wysocki is the kind of actor where, the minute look into his soul-penetrating eyes that say more than words ever could, his sympathy begins to tug at your fragile heartstrings, and after spending an hour and a half with his character, rarely leaving the frame, you feel shaken and riveted. He's playing a character seemingly more in-tuned with life than his character in Terri, his acting debut, and in certain stretches, he appears more comfortable and confident as an actor.

He gives Fat Kid Rules the World, actor Matthew Lillard's directorial debut, a powerful life and impact as he effortlessly takes the thin concept presented and makes it into a convincing, ninety-minute portrayal of an obese social pariah and his fight to gain back his confidence and motivation, at first assuming he ever had any. Wysocki plays Troy Billings, who is seen fantasizing about a grisly suicide attempt in the opening minutes of the film. When he finally attempts his tragic fate, by walking in front of a bus, he is saved at the very last second by Marcus McCray (Matt O'Leary), a homeless drug addict who is one of the leads in his underground band. One wonders why a character like this would save a defenseless fat kid from an ugly fate. Then he asks him for $20.

Troy's homelife is rather grim as well; his father (Billy Campbell, whose performance will most likely be overshadowed, but is very, very wonderful) wants nothing but the best for his son, like all fathers, and for that reason, seems to give him more leniency than he should/ Troy's younger brother couldn't care less about him, and when it is revealed that their mother died, we question if this family were ever tightly bound together or if they were always coldly isolated from each other. When Troy begins prolifically hanging out with Marcus, Troy's father becomes conflicted in the sense that he is happy his boy found a friend, yet displeased with his friend's reckless, inconsequential behavior. When Marcus comes up with the spur-of-the-moment decision that him and Troy should form a rock band, with Troy on the drums, their relationship begins to become stronger and they start to understand the life the other one lives.

I worried that this film would mirror too closely to Wysocki's overlooked Terri, in terms of direction, tone, and plot, but that assumption was thrown away well before the first act ended. The "Terri" character in that film seemed to be more content with being an outsider and simply just wanted to be left alone, while we can see that Troy, here, is hungering for attention and acceptance. Meeting Marcus is arguably the best or worst thing that could've happened to him, yet we are left to answer that question.

The film is a little slow, but we are given much in the way of greatness in terms of writing and photography. Written by Michael M.B. Galvin and Peter Speakman, based off the K.L. Going novel of the same name, Fat Kid Rules the World, delicately paints the Troy character and the world around him, photographing it in hazy yet artful beauty, and giving him a story to tell that makes him marginally stand out from the rest. His story is not that far off from the story of Angus Bethune in another overlooked film by the name of Angus, starring Charlie Talbert as the title character, an overweight kid who simply hungered for acceptance and the feeling of not being ostracized. It is that specific quality that makes this film wholesome and understandable, and very, very unselfish.

I come full circle by saying that Wysocki's performance is by far, one of the best of the year. His mind and attitude is all one hundred percent and his capability as an actor bleeds from the second he steps on screen. He rightfully achieves sympathy, and even empathy, without being heavy-handed or cliché in his performance. Not to mention, Lillard gives this material the sensitivity and honest direction it needs and deserves. I just hope that Wysocki will not find himself type-cast in the role of the hopeless obese teen and branches out to find great work, surrounded by characters who love and accept him. We all deserve that.

Starring: Jacob Wysocki, Matt O"Leary, and Billy Campbell. Directed by: Matthew Lillard.