Liat Nosrati
Owen Wilson stars in “Drillbit Taylor,” a PG-13 comedy about a homeless guy pretending to be a bodyguard to make some money off of three wimpy kids.It is the first day of high school, and Ryan (Troy Gentile) and Wade (Nate Hartley) are positive that they will be popular this year. However, that is immediately hard to believe, considering they show up to school wearing the same shirt. It all goes downhill from there. When Wade sticks up for the school’s biggest nerd, Emmit (David Dorfman), the three of them signed up for hourly beat-downs by the high school bullies. The two bullies, Filkins (Alex Frost) and Ronnie (Josh Peck), who look like they should be in college, make it their mission to give these three kids the full high school experience. After visiting the principal and realizing that no one can protect them, they resort to hiring a low-budget bodyguard, Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson). Drillbit assures them that he is watching over them, even when he is nowhere in sight.Meanwhile, Drillbit is living in a tent off the side of the road and knows absolutely nothing about protecting the helpless kids. Although the film had its funny scenes, Wilson was basically sitting this one out. He gave an average performance compared to what he has done in the past. He had a few amusing lines that showed he is still that same old fun-loving guy, but with less passion and force. Steven Brill, who directed “Mr. Deeds,” directed this film, which does not really say much. However, the film was co-written by Seth Rogen, who also co-wrote “Superbad.” “Drillbit Taylor” is not nearly as risky and hilarious as Rogen’s past projects. Ryan, the fat kid of the nerdy trio, practically made the movie. He had this undeniable don’t-mess-with-me attitude, even though he had no intention of standing up to the bullies. He insisted on being called “T-Dog” and actually made Filkins look like a fool when they had a rap-off.The bully roles were well played, but it never made sense how the hallways just happened to be free of teachers every time the kids were getting picked on. While the kids in this film are played by unknowns, they clearly stole the show. Maybe Wilson can take a few pointers from them.
Grade: B-
