Drillbit Taylor (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• KJ P

  
  Drillbit Taylor may have an unoriginal story and the characters may be a little stale, but the way everything is executed in this film, it is actually very funny! I found myself finding every situation funny no matter how stupid the origin of the joke really was. I believe that if… More
  Drillbit Taylor may have an unoriginal story and the characters may be a little stale, but the way everything is executed in this film, it is actually very funny! I found myself finding every situation funny no matter how stupid the origin of the joke really was. I believe that if this didn't have any big stars and the kids were unfunny, this film would have definitely flopped, but overall it is easily enjoyable. Drillbit Taylor is the type of movie you can watch a few times over before the film begins to get old!

• Brad W

  
  Did I enjoy this movie, ya, did I love it, no. The plot was average, really just a simple story. It was funny a lot, and also cheesy sometimes too. I personally think Owen Wilson and the teens were perfectly picked, I loved them. This movie was fun, but no comedy classic.

• Matt G

  
  Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman. Three beasts right there. Grade: C+

• Chris W

  
  This is really nothing more than just your average, run of the mill, blah, blah entertainment. It pains me to think about the fact that this was the last film John Hughes (using a psuedonym) was involved with. Perhaps had he made this film twenty years earlier it would have been… More
  This is really nothing more than just your average, run of the mill, blah, blah entertainment. It pains me to think about the fact that this was the last film John Hughes (using a psuedonym) was involved with. Perhaps had he made this film twenty years earlier it would have been better...perhaps. There are some scenes that are funny, and I did laugh a few times, but the bulk of this movie is uninspired, cliche, and utterly predictable. To make matters worse, there's lots of good talent (Wilson, Mann, Root, McBride) going to waste, and that's a real shame. Granted, I' not really the target audience for this movie (I don't believe), so you might get something out of this all of you who read this. This had potential, as all movie do but for me, it doesn't really go anywhere or live up and become what it could be.

• Anthony L

  
  Not brilliant but not terrible, the kids were quite funny and Wilson is always watchable!

• Lady D

  
  another well suited role for Owen Wilson, that captures that laid back, free spirited nature and (in this film) freeloading outlook on life. With reminders of Bad Santa (less the adult content) the school kids are entertaining, especially T-Dog and whilst this is a kids film and is… More
  another well suited role for Owen Wilson, that captures that laid back, free spirited nature and (in this film) freeloading outlook on life. With reminders of Bad Santa (less the adult content) the school kids are entertaining, especially T-Dog and whilst this is a kids film and is a little predictable, it was in fact an enjoyable and entertaining watch

• Dean !

  
  A very average comedy with some fun scenes. A group of kids hire a dropout,unknown to them, to protect them from the high school bully. Reminded me of superbad a little. It's watchable but don't go out of your way to see it.

• Conner R

  
  It really does have some great moments, but this is a complete mess of a movie. Owen Wilson alone makes this enjoyable, a homeless bodyguard makes for some pretty funny scenes. However, the Superbad-ish high school element is just really pointless and corny.

• Leigh R

  
  Ummm... it was okay.

• Cassandra M

  
  There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the notion of Owen Wilson playing a jakey posing as a bodyguard promises a few laughs and a half. It's a decent enough family comedy, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but they're… More
  There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the notion of Owen Wilson playing a jakey posing as a bodyguard promises a few laughs and a half. It's a decent enough family comedy, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but they're spread too thin to make this a classic jape. The 3 bullied teens are hugely likable though, and Wilson has such an easygoing charm that it's difficult not to enjoy it, even if he does work better when he's got a proper sparring partner to riff off. The end result is likable without being lovable, funny without being hilarious and enjoyable without being particularly memorable.

• Luke B

  
  Generic and very poor. Some of the comedy is OK, with a few smiles being raised. Mostly by Josh Peck as a lackey. The biggest problem of this film, which is seemingly anti-bullying, is that the scenes of bullying are the funniest. This hardly creates sympathy for the loud and… More
  Generic and very poor. Some of the comedy is OK, with a few smiles being raised. Mostly by Josh Peck as a lackey. The biggest problem of this film, which is seemingly anti-bullying, is that the scenes of bullying are the funniest. This hardly creates sympathy for the loud and obnoxious victims. Wilson just cruises along being himself and I was only truly engaged in the film when Leslie Mann was on screen. Even a bunch of cameo's from Apatow's regulars isn't enough to save this film. It probably has something to do with the child/teen friendly approach, placing boundaries on the talent involved.

• Phil H

  
  OK, this isnt too bad, its a very old plot type and very cliched but the characters are pretty funny and casting is good. The young boys are well and truely geeky looking haha and fit their roles well, the learing at girls and usual sex and toughness discussions are all present and… More
  OK, this isnt too bad, its a very old plot type and very cliched but the characters are pretty funny and casting is good. The young boys are well and truely geeky looking haha and fit their roles well, the learing at girls and usual sex and toughness discussions are all present and quite amusing, here and there. Wilson is a steady laugh the whole way, he's usually dependable for these kind of roles and here he does the job well again. Its not hilarious but its fun and a jolly way to spend an afternoon. As the film gets towards the end it does become very very cliched with this kind of plot, almost in a kind of lighthearted 'Karate Kid' kinda way, then right at the end there is a strange and quite outta place little sequence, involving a samurai sword, which is rather violent in idea to be honest, leading to the main bully being arrested and deported lol alittle strong for the family comedy concept, odd. So it ends on a very predictable note in all the mini sub plots which is a shame but it doesnt ruin the film too much. Overall its a good comedy but could have been better, the best scenes are at the start of the film really, it loses pace as it goes on, still, its worth seeing if you like Wilson and comedies in general.

• Bannan i

  
  Nothing extremely special, but if you're looking for something cute and funny just to lighten things up a bit...than this just might be what you're looking for. Review...TBC. And, I'm not an Owen Wilson fan -at- all..but I didn't really mind him here.

• Arash X

  
  Typical enjoyable wanna-be flick that fails miserably, Owen Wilson is boring to watch like always

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"You get what you pay for."</i> Three kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the… More
  <i>"You get what you pay for."</i> Three kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the notion of Owen Wilson playing a jakey posing as a bodyguard promises a few laughs and a half. It's a decent enough family comedy, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but they're spread too thin to make this a classic jape. The 3 bullied teens are hugely likable though, and Wilson has such an easygoing charm that it's difficult not to enjoy it, even if he does work better when he's got a proper sparring partner to riff off. The end result is likable without being lovable, funny without being hilarious and enjoyable without being particularly memorable.

• Nate Z

  
  [font=Arial][color=DarkRed]Speed Racer - I was wary of this film from the first frame. I think the original [i]Speed Racer[/i] cartoon is dopey and insipid. I didn't really want to pay to have my retinas destroyed by the candy-coated color scheme of the big-budget movie. But I… More
  [font=Arial][color=DarkRed]Speed Racer - I was wary of this film from the first frame. I think the original [i]Speed Racer[/i] cartoon is dopey and insipid. I didn't really want to pay to have my retinas destroyed by the candy-coated color scheme of the big-budget movie. But I must say, I didn't hate this movie and that's a major accomplishment. That's not to say Speed Racer is a good movie; its script is cheesy, the dialogue is silly, the comedy is dead on arrival, and many of the races end up becoming incoherent flashes of color and noise. But God help me, the Wachowski brothers have produced a unique movie experience that will likely induce epileptic seizures. [i]Speed Racer[/i] has way too much plot going on for a cartoon about a kid who races a fast car. The movie reminds me in a lot of ways of the [i]Wacky Races[/i] cartoon where the various teams have theme-driven cars. This provides for plenty of outlandish action sequences that manage to tickle the senses, that is, when the images are somewhat stable. The movie aspires to be a "family film" and with that comes the half-hearted moral message (corporations are evil) and a reminder that family is important. Did I mention there's also a monkey that gets treated like a member of the family? The movie sometimes feels like the cinematic equivalent of an ice cream headache, but you're unlikely to see anything like it again in the near future. That may be both a good and a bad thing. Nate's Grade: C+ Then She Found Me - Actress Helen Hunt's directorial debut is an altogether pleasant film experience without achieving anything memorable or truly accomplished. It's a simple story of a 40-something grade school teacher (Hunt) torn between her man-boy husband (Matthew Broderick) and a student's hot father (Colin Firth, who seems to be a middle-aged woman's dream come true). The extra plotline where Hunt discovers the identity of her biological mother (Bette Midler) never truly seems to coalesce with the romantic foibles. [i]Then She Found Me[/i] has a noticeably wry tone, like that of a world-weary adult that's been-there-done-that. That specific and welcomed tone helps keep the viewer alert and mostly satisfied from beginning to end. It isn't a warm or sappy movie despite some sitcom-level plot complications. The acting is fairly amusing, though somewhat one-note (the foursome of actors rarely break from the one-sentence descriptions of their characters). The most shocking aspect of the flick is how weathered and gaunt Hunt looks, which is a refreshing and realistic turn for the actress. Hunt is competent behind the camera but doesn't prove much else when it comes to directorial skills. [i]Then She Found Me[/i] is a mildly affecting movie that passes the time well. Stick around to catch acclaimed author Salman Rushdie as Hunt's OB-GYN. Nate's Grade: B The Spiderwick Chronicles - This imaginative fantasy family film is adapted from five books from the [i]Spiderwick[/i] series, so you'll be forgiven for thinking that it packs a lot of storylines at a brisk pace. This 97-minute film should appeal to all members of the family because, while derivative, it has plenty of action, interesting fantasy characters, and even some palpable thrills. The movie has a better handle over interspersing psychological real-world drama with the monsters. Freddie Highmore is the best special effect in the film as he plays two twins who are vastly different in personality and temperament. Director Mark Waters ([i]Mean Girls[/i]) deals with the fantastic but also makes the film feel grounded, never letting the otherworldly elements to take over. The movie is a modestly entertaining escapade. Nate's Grade: B Drillbit Taylor - This is a case where a movie feels stuck between two different aims. The premise of a group of geeks hiring a bodyguard to protect them from high school bullies feels dramatically dated, like an idea that John Hughes could have cranked out over a weekend in the 1980s. Owen Wilson stars as a homeless Army vet that agrees to be the bodyguard but he intends to fleece the kids of their money. Eventually the film culminates in the geek trio violently fighting the bully, which is kind of a weird climax to a mainstream teen-centered film. The main bully is actually psychotically dangerous and the movie exists in a realm where every adult character is a cretin or a moron. Don't even think about security in the school. The jokes aren't as lively or clever as the movie would like to think, but special credit must be awarded for collecting a group of teen actors that look authentically geeky. [i]Drillbit Taylor[/i] is a safe vehicle for Wilson because he's played a variation of this zen-cool character in many movies. I'm honestly surprised that Seth Rogen is a co-writer and that Judd Apatow produced this flick. This is noticeable below their standards. This movie isn't anything special and it's tonally all over the place, but then it does have some funny situations, some amusing character interplay, and some dependable slapstick. Think of it as a sanitized PG version of [i]Superbad[/i] combined with an 80s movie. Nate's Grade: C+ Deception - Is there a more tired and pathetic genre of filmmaking than that of the erotic thriller? [i]Deception[/i] is just about as lazy and bland as its title. The casting director got every role wrong. Ewan McGregor is an accounting nerd that befriends a swanky playboy (Hugh Jackman) and they accidentally switch phones. Of course this leads to people mistaking an accounting nerd for a swanky playboy, and McGregor is introduced to an underground web of anonymous sex (hasn't anyone heard about craig's list?). I suppose the rich would rather take a chance on a stranger than have their handlers recruit some tail. Michelle Williams is completely wrong as the femme fatale who OF COURSE is in on the scheme. [i]Deception[/i] plays out exactly as you could predict, and it even bears a somewhat strong resemblance to 2005's [i]Derailed[/i], another mediocre thriller of little thrills. The chilly cinematography by Dante Spinotti is way too good for this kind of film. It seems that erotic thrillers have graduated from soft focus close-ups of copulating couples set to saxophone music to … soft focus close-ups of copulating couples set to electronica beats. I suppose that's progress for a genre defined by ridiculous plots, unrealistic characters acting like idiots, and, oh yeah, boobs. Nate's Grade: C[/color][/font]

• Film C

  
  i loved it, funny as hekk you think its going to be one of these shit films that were made for the sack of it like dont mess with the zohan starring adam sandler but its completely the opposite its funny hilariously funny completely worth a watch!

• Lenny M

  
  Steven Brill just needs to stick with making money off of Mighty Ducks 1 and 2, period. Not a terrible, has a few laughs, but Owen Wilson cannot carry a movie, he's a sidekick actor.

• James A

  
  Owen Wilson as a con man who changes his ways? This is unheard of!!!

• Michael S

  
  Not particularly funny, and completely passable and forgettable.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings