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Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Henry Simmons, Ellie Jameson ...( see more  see more... ) , Evan Martin , Lorraine Nicholson

A thoughtful but outrageous comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, WORLD'S GREATEST DAD is a story about a man that learns the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy, and that being lo...( read more  read more... )nely is not necessarily the same as being alone.

Robin Williams stars as Lance Clayton, a man who has learned to settle. He dreamed of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is an insufferable jackass who won't give his father the time of day. He is dating Claire (Alexie Gilmore), the school's adorable art teacher, but she doesn't want to get serious -- or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating.

Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of all the fame, fortune and popularity he ever dreamed of, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.

Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, WORLD'S GREATEST DAD stars Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Geoff Pierson, Henry Simmons and Mitzi McCall. The film was produced by Tim Perrell, Howard Gertler, Sean McKittrick and Richard Kelly and co-produced by Sarah de Sa Rego.

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55% liked it

37,297 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

83 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait

Release Date: August 21, 2009

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DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (1,371)

  • allan913
    February 7, 2010
    allan913
    A smart, twisted, disgusting, foul-mouthed, original and savagely funny film. Robin Williams is terrifically hilarious in one of his best performances in the last few years. It's not a great film nor is it a classic but it does have some surprisingly affectionate moments that mak...( read more)e it work. A thoughtful, bold and outrageous film that you have to see at least once. Even with its vulgar and disturbing background of the father faking his sons accidental death with a suicide and making a fake journal of what he was, is well making the character less likable but does the honorable thing in the end. It also shows the side of people in tragedy's and how they might of thought of the deceased and shows how they might of thought of that person. A dark comedy with something to say. It brakes all the rules and has fun with it with a satisfying conclusion.
  • her69eyes
    October 28, 2009
    her69eyes
    "World's Greatest Dad", a new film by former stand up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, has a premise with all the potential in the world. It's edgy, satirical, and we've never seen anything quite like it. Unfortunately, however, the brilliance seems to have ended in the early developm...( read more)ental stages. The script meanders around with lifeless one-note characters, the dialogue is a completely tone-deaf farce, the soundtrack is an obviously literate self-parody, and in an attempt to make both a drama and a comedy, Goldthwait fails at both. A noble failure, indeed, but a failure nonetheless.

    Kyle Clayton (Daryl Sabara) is the son from hell. He's a chauvinist with interests that end at masturbation. His father, Lance (Robin Williams), tries his best to connect with his son, but his efforts are thwarted when Kyle announces that the only thing queerer than music are the people who like it.

    Lance, a failed writer, makes a living as a poetry teacher at Kyle's high school. His on-again-off-again girlfriend, Clarie (Alexie Gilmore), is a tease much more interested in one of Lance's younger and more successful co-workers. One day, he walks into Kyle's room and finds that his son has died from autoerotic asphyxiation. Once Lance pulls himself together, he covers up Kyle's death by writing a suicide note and hanging him from the closet.

    Kyle's classmates, who used to find him repulsive, now plaster the hallway walls with posters professing their love for their fallen classmate. When "Kyle's" suicide note is published in the school newspaper, both student and faculty find deep meaning in Kyle's death. Lance, who has never been able to get one of his novels published, now has a way of getting read - by writing his son's diary.

    This idea, of the romanticization of the dead, is tackled well in a few brief instances, but most of the time it's ham-fisted and dull. Take, for instance, a scene where students read "Kyle's" words and fantasize about him - for example, the goth girl envisions a self-mutilating Kyle with eyeliner. Could we be beaten over the head any more?

    Robin Williams' performance worked for me in the developing stages of the film, but as the film progressed I started to think that I mistook his understated performance for pure boredom. Daryl Sabara, from the "Spy Kids" movies, succeeds in being thoroughly despicable, but the dialogue he's been given is the sort of construct that only exists in movies like this one.

    The film teeters between drama and comedy so often that I found myself laughing at the drama and cringing at the comedy. When Lance finds Kyle's body, sappy music is cued and we watch Lance cry in slow motion for a minute or so. Williams gives it all he has, but the shamelessly manipulative filmmaking hit my gag reflex more than my tear ducts.

    Bobcat Goldthwait is not an awful storyteller, but I do think he underestimates the intelligence of the audience. Everything in the film is so obvious, so one-note, so literal - by the end of this "thinking piece", you realize that you didn't have to do any of the thinking for yourself.
  • IfeellikeGregorSamsa
    October 5, 2009
    IfeellikeGregorSamsa
    Note: A picture so disgusting it deserves to be buried under the ground for no one to see. I could stay up for three days for four nights and never come up with such a story, plot and characters. Only a deranged mind could thought up and decided to translate to the screen such a ...( read more)garbage with intention to make us laugh and be emotionally involved with it at the same time.

    It was suppose to be absurd? Oh, I'm sure it was. But where there're too many pricks and deluded morons, it doesn't leave one much room except to deride them.

    ...And even that doesn't last very long.
  • mrpopcorn
    September 2, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Lance Clayton is about to get everything he deserves."

    A comedy about a man who learns that the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy, and that being lonely is not necessarily the same as being alone.

    ...( read more)ook">REVIEW
    This movie worked very well as a dark comedy. It followed no set boundaries and goes its own way. The results are incredibly dark, sometimes being almost twisted. There are some scenes where the viewer doesn't know whether to laugh or feel sad. Robin Williams delivers his best performance in a while as Lance Clayton, a struggling writer striving for success and hell-bent on not dying alone. I personally found it rather impressive that it was both written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait because I'm personally not too big of a fan of his stand-up and this was a far departure from it. However, the one thing that I saw as holding the movie back was its climax, which I believed took the right route, but could have been more powerful or had a bit more of a sting to it.

    I think Robin Williams portrayed his character extremely well. His mix of emotion, sarcasm and humbleness flowed together excellently whilst moving consecutively, and concurrently at times. Robin Williams has shown time and time again that he is not just a rifting comedian but instead a true artist and lover of his craft, this film is no exception. Daryl Sabara has branched out into a medium of film I truly think he belongs. Who would have thought the little boy from Spy Kids could be so inviting as such a rightfully harsh and depraved character. I think this proves Bobcat Goldthwait as much more than people's general perception of him.

    Overall, this movie, like Observe and Report released earlier in 2009, won't be for everyone, but it works very well in its own way.
  • DrZeek
    September 1, 2009
    DrZeek
    Lance Clayton: We can go to the video store later and rent a movie.
    Kyle: Are you stupid? I hate watching movies.

    Writer/Director Bobcat Goldthwait has made a dark comedy that stars Robin Williams in what actually seems to be his best performance in years. The rest of the revie...( read more)w will delve into a twist in the story that occurs about a third of the way into the movie, so if you don't want to hear minor spoilers, know that this is a good movie.

    Lance Clayton: Does anyone else have their haiku?

    Williams stars as Lance Clayton, a teacher who wishes he could be a published writer. He works at a school, has an unpopular class, a secret relationship with another teacher, and a teenage son, who is pretty much the biggest asshole you can know.

    After getting the dynamic across between Lance and his son, Kyle, a funny thing happens. Kyle accidentally kills himself while masturbating. Choosing to hide the embarrassment of the situation, Lance sets up the scene to make it look like Kyle killed himself, and goes as far as forging a suicide note. While this works, another funny thing happens. The suicide note is leaked into the school and everyone seems to forget how much of a dick Kyle was, and instead embraces the situation. Lance is now faced with the possibility of the fame that he has wanted due to some more factors that follow, as long as he plays along with the charade.

    I guess you can say this film is kind of weird. It stars out as a comedy filled with awkward humor and one-liners, but then turns into a dark comedy with some satirical elements involving the school's reaction the Kyle's death. At the center of all this is Williams. Williams has the kind of performance here that I really enjoy. He's being very funny, without seemingly trying. He's dialed down and playing the role straight, but with a sort of charm that transforms over the course of the film.

    The subject matter is dark, but Goldthwait manages to handle the tone pretty well to never make the film reach a low sad point in emotion. He has toyed with irony in a way that works and given Williams the chance to be in a good comedy again.

    Neighbor: That's your son, I thought he was a zombie.
    Lance Clayton: I wish, I like zombies.
  • rightknewit
    February 7, 2010
    rightknewit
    I normally dislike Robin Williams in most films. This sleeper was well done - I expected a typical, maudlin resolution, but it didn't happen - so kudos for that, Bob. Not a great movie, but way better than expected.
  • YoghurtTheWise
    February 6, 2010
    YoghurtTheWise
    "I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."
  • chattymolly
    February 6, 2010
    chattymolly
    I thought this was great! Definitely disturbing in some spots, but I really liked it. Memorable.
  • Yinali
    February 4, 2010
    Yinali
    Well if you enjoy black comedy, go right ahead.
  • malacaynomuerto
    February 4, 2010
    malacaynomuerto
    Tienes dos partes las dos igual de interesantes pero la primera realmente no se explora a profundidad y hubiera sido una comedia de esas de risas fáciles la segunda ya mas seria tambien es muy ligera lo mas digno es el final que si bien es el deseado tampoco pasa nada

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Critic Reviews

September 4, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

There's more going on here than the age-old struggle between maturity and its surly teen antithesis. full review

September 3, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

For a comedy about autoerotic asphyxiation, epic deception, and shameless exploitation, World's Greatest Dad is a surprisingly sweet and tender affair. full review

September 3, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Bobcat Goldthwait makes a daring assault in World's Greatest Dad against our yearning to mythologize the dead. But he loses his nerve just before the earth is completely scorched. full review

August 28, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Though hampered by an uneven tone and a disturbing conclusion, World's Greatest Dad is a bold, black comedy balanced by an unexpected sense of humanity. full review

August 21, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

A strange and wonderful new indie from director Bobcat Goldthwait. full review

August 17, 2009
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

To a greater extent than Sleeping Dogs Lie, it clumsily straddles the line between comedy and drama, its story neither outrageous enough to be funny nor substantial enough to be moving. full review

View more World's Greatest Dad reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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