World's Greatest Dad is pretty great

World's Greatest Dad (2009) starring Robin Williams and directed/written by 80's rebel comic and Police Academy badboy Bobcat Golthwait

First, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has a cameo as a newstand man.  He doesn't have any lines but WOW, hello there, I've seen Dave Grohl all over the place but you, you are a hidden little man, nice to see you again.  While you're in the spotlight again, you and Dave Grohl should have a 3-way with Courtney Love and produce a super musical baby.

Back to the movie.  Lance is a struggling writer/high school teacher who has a perverted son named Kyle.  Kyle is stupid, likes poop porn, is hated at school, has one friend, and is mean and absuve towards his father.  Kyle dies an embarassing accidental death, Lance writes a suicide note for Kyle, and achieves literary success that has eluded him throughout his life.  Kyle, once the trash of the school, now becomes a vaulted hero that inspires his classmates to not die, love life, and some other positive crap----beware, the movie does NOT get bogged down here.  As Lance's good fortunes continue to skyrocket the guiltier he feels and he must decide to come clean or use his new fame to pulish in Kyle's name to help troubled teens.

Good movie.  Not great, but good.  Kyle is a greasy fucking spazz who always looks sweaty and covered in unshowered filth.  Williams is good as always but he looks his age, which is near 60, so don't expect to see him in many more movies (sorry but the truth is old people don't act in hollywood---see Jack Nicholson, great actor but he's only made crap (or been offered crap) since he joined the AARP).  The script by Bobcat is surprisingly deep and free of cliches.  There are some tiny ones, such as the gay jock, but beyond that Bobcat uses Kyle's death and his "suicide" letter to illustrate how perceptions are transient in nature and facts change depending on the season.  Deep without becoming heavy, entertaining without being preachy, a very hard thing to do, intellectual without being Woody Allen, good job Bobcat.

The script, besides taking shot at some deep intellectual stuff is also about relationships.  Lance and Kyle's, Lance and a hot teacher who is wavering between him and a young English teacher, Kyle and his friend Andrew, and Lance and his horder neighbor.  The relationships were relateable and sometimes uncomfortably real but what an accomplishment for the comic turned director.  There are many other writers who can't write relationships like Bobcat and they've done a lot more things (see Bad Boys 1 and 2).

Everything is acted superbly.  Williams is always good and he's great here.  He is often called upon to showcase a wide range a emotions in a matter of seconds and he pulls it off like he was 30 years old all over again.  The direction at times was very original.  Bobcat frames his shots with more of an artistic bent using contrasting colors as a simple palette to express his emotions and he often times and effectively uses pop music to convey the characters emotions.    

Maybe because I was a pothead nihilistic perv like Kyle that I understood and like the relationships so much, or maybe Bobcat knows his stuff, either way, there is more to this movie then just Krist and Williams.  

Watch this for Krist, the last good movie Williams is likely to make (so sad, farewell my Captain), and a good script with good actors, directing, and writing.    

DVD extras, the deleted scenes and outtakes aren't worth the time, the music video is cool.