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Written by JORDAN BRANDES
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
The past can sometimes come back to haunt us. In other
cases the present is so horrible you’ll wish it were
the future already. Such is the case with Mr. Woodcock
a comedy so horrible that you’ll spend the whole time
wishing you didn’t actually just shell out ten bucks
for it.
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"Mr. Woodcock"
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 Entertainment
Art
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Written by: Michael Carnes, Josh Gilbert
Starring: Billy Bob Thorton, Seann William Scott, and
Susan Sarandon
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The film tells the story of John Farley (Sean William
Scott) who as a child was horrendously harassed in gym
class by his evil teacher Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob
Thorton). As one of the chubbier kids in his class
little Farley gets the bulk of Woodcocks wrath. Now an
adult Farley is the best selling author of a self-help
book geared toward letting go of your past. Riding
high on fame Farley becomes the recipient of his
hometown’s Corn Cob Key a prestigious honor in the
little farming community. Honored at the prize Farley
decides to return home despite the pleas of his
ever-present publicist (played by the always annoying
Amy Poehler of SNL fame).
Much to his surprise Farley learns that his widowed
mother (Susan Sarandon) is now deeply involved with
his old nemesis Mr.Woodcock. The only reason this
movie got even one star is the fact that it contained
a truly great cast. Unfortunately, the writing and
directing is so bad that it easy to forgot there is
such talent at work.
To be honest, Mr. Woodcock would have made a really
good drama. The level of pain and humiliation Woodcock
inflicts on his students is not only mean but also
probably illegal in almost every state. Thorton plays
Woodcock so cold that even with the highly predictable
happy ending there isn’t one redeemable quality in his
character.
The entire cast seemed stuck in their one-dimensional
roles unable to produce anything of real value. Billy
Bob Thorton’s portrayal of Mr. Woodcock is so dull
that there were times it felt as if a cardboard cutout
was on the screen. The typically funny Seann William
Scott, who was finally given the chance to go beyond
the typical Stiffler role, felt as if he was
practicing lines from some other film. The most wasted
of the cast was without a doubt Susan Sarandon. Though
essential to the total plot the role of the mother
could have been played by literally anyone. Sarandon
seemed as bored with the role as everyone else in the
movie.
The far more disappointing detail is that it took a
staff of two writers to come up with the dribble that
counts as dialogue in this movie. The writing teams
previous work include the quickly forgotten “The 80’s
Show” and one episode of “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza
Place”. With that kind of resume it is no surprise
they landed a feature film.
If you choose to spend your weekend at the movies do
yourself a favor and skip this sad excuse for a movie.
In the age of multiplexes the odds are good that there
will be something worth spending your money on. Don’t
let Mr.Woodcock bully you into wasting your time. |
uhhh
Written by Guest on 2007-09-19 13:47:26
if it's so bad why did you give it 3 1/2 stars? It does look awful though! But I totally disagree about Amy Poehler, she's talented sometimes. | Written by Guest on 2007-09-24 20:34:39
That was actually a computer error, I orginally gave it only 1 star. Trust me it doesn't deserve anything more than that
-Jordan Brandes |
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