Judd Apatow and Co. is on fire. These cinematic, comedic geeks are on a roll. Not even awful-looking trailers, like the one for their latest comedy, Drillbit Taylor can bring this train to a halt.
Owen Wilson plays Drillbit Taylor, a smooth-talking, homeless, military deserter looking for the conveniently priced $380 moving cost to make a new life for himself in Canada.
Luckily, he stumbles across a trio of new high school losers seeking hired protection from the school bully.
There’s Wade (nicknamed Skeletor for being a skinny lurp), Ryan (the overweight wannabe white rapper), and Emmitt (the former most-picked-on kid who uninvitedly latches onto Wade and Ryan when they join his ranks).
Drillbit Taylor almost focuses more on the geeks than it does Drillbit. This would be a red flag, had these kids not been perfect for their roles.
Through the course of the movie, Drillbit teaches them his useless, self-made self-defense, infiltrates the school as a substitute teacher and accidentally sets them up for failure and humiliation.
Though the story moves in the most typical of directions for this type of movie, the original characters and style of humor makes it painless and quite entertaining.
Produced by Apatow and written by Seth Rogan (Superbad), Drillbit Taylor lacks nothing you’d expect from these guys — except the usual, very well earned R rating.
Aside from The Darjeeling Limited, lately, Owen Wilson has been caught up in playing the same character over and over again, leaving nothing for surprise in his roles.
As Drillbit, Wilson returns to a charming, likeable and spontaneous role, much like the work of his earlier years.
If you’re looking for a perfect comedy to check out, then don’t miss Drillbit Taylor.
And if you don’t watch R-rated movies, you can finally see a PG-13 version of what Apatow and Co. are continually getting better at.
