World’s Greatest Dad

WORLD’S GREATEST DAD (MOVIE)
Universal/Darko Entertainment

Original release: August 21st, 2009
Running time: 99 minutes

Writer and director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Cast: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara

Although I’m not a parent, I can see some of the challenges and joys being one can bring. A child’s first smile, their first steps, their first words. The day they come home from school with a masterpiece made from paper, macaroni and glue for you to pin up on the refrigerator. Maybe even teaching them to throw a ball, ride a bike or explaining why running with scissors or trying to flush the poor cat down the toilet isn’t such a good idea. I’ve seen my older brothers experiencing these moments with their own kids and it makes me think I could be a really good dad. But what do you do when those sweet lovely kids turn into teenagers?

World’s Greatest Dad stars Robin Williams as Lance Clayton, a single dad with a son who’s a total nightmare to be around. The son in question is Kyle (Daryl Sabara), he’s unpleasant, immature and insensitive; a typical teenager. Needless to say, Lance is a miserable fellow, even if he doesn’t realise it. He’s a high school teacher and a writer who’s never been published, but he dreams of it happening one day. He’s dating art teacher Claire (Alexie Gilmore), but she won’t acknowledge their relationship publicly. At school he’s something of a joke and is constantly undermined by his peers.

All round, it’s a glum life for him but a sudden tragedy gives him the opportunity to put things right. He’ll find fame, gain respect and finally turn Kyle into the one he always wanted… if he can only live with the knowledge of how it all happened.

Produced by Richard Kelly’s company Darko Entertainment, World’s Greatest Dad is something of a mixed bag of treats. They are some really great moments and scenes where the acting and script really shine, but there are also some parts which leave a really sour taste in your mouth.

For the most part the characters are not very likable. Lance is the kind of guy you want to yell at for being such a loser while his girlfriend Claire is just plain selfish and someone I’d go out of my way to avoid even talking to.

When we get to Kyle though I don’t think there are enough adjectives to describe just how much I truly disliked him. He’s a pot smoking pervert who berates his father and talks down to his one friend in the world. This makes for some extremely awkward moments, not least of all when Lance walks in on him masturbating in his room, but the story strongly relies on us not liking him.

As Lance bumbles his way through one lie after the next to cover up his actions, we know it’ll reach an unavoidable conclusion where his cover’s blown. This is when the film goes for the jugular in a poignant climax which shows Williams is fully able to keep his head above water while all else falters.

It’s certainly not a film for everyone, and maybe not the best one to put on after lunch for the family on Father’s Day, but it may strike a chord with audiences familiar with black comedy or some of the films produced by Darko Entertainment or God Bless America (2011), also written and directed by Bobcat_Goldthwait. As for Robin Williams, it’s sometimes hard to remember his days of Mork & Mindy with so many serious roles in the past couple of decades, but this one shows he still has a natural talent when it comes to comedic timing.

While it certainly doesn’t put me off parenthood, World’s Greatest Dad might give me pause for thought it comes to handling them as teenagers, but cases like Kyle Clayton are thankfully too far and in between to worry too much about right now.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

21st CENTURY CINEMA

WRITE FOR STATIC MASS!

If you are passionate not only about watching movies but also about writing, we would love to hear from you!

Please get in touch and let us know whether you have a favorite genre, an interest for example in World Cinema, and how often you could write reviews and/or features for us.

You can as well send us your features and reviews right away. We look forward to receiving articles between 700 and 1,500 words, submitted as a Word document.

You can find more information here.

Please also read our Terms & Conditions.

— Founder & Editor in Chief —
Patrick Samuel

— Editor in Chief & Webmaster —
Jonahh Oestreich

— Contributing Editors —
Arpad Lukacs • Ben Nicholson
John Bleasdale • Paul Bullock
Paul Costello

— Authors & Correspondents —
Alison Devlin • Andrew Latimer
Barbara Diril • Ben Cook
Colin Williamson • Dipesh Parmar
Ian Roberts • Jack Murphy
James Arden • Jamie Suckley
Kyle Barrett • Max Lalanne
Nandini Godara • Pete Turner
Richa Rudola • Robert Bright
Rohan Mohmand • Thomas Grieve

— Guest Writers —
Danny Byrne • Joaquin Villalobos
Lauren Mannion • Lesley Coffin
Lito Velasco • Mark Patton
Norman Buckley • Toby C Prior
Tyson James Yates • V.Venkateshwaran

STAY IN TOUCH!

Static Mass Emporium is a UK-based independent film journal which looks at a broad range of work from the industry.

With research grounded in modern cinema, film theory, sociology, history and filmosophy, our approach is to explore the essence of film.

We are a nonprofit publication free of advertising — sustained entirely by its readers, fans and supporters. Read more about us here.