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HOME/Archive/Hubbs/Books/Obits/Shorts/Links/Contact SUPERBAD’s Little Brother outshines its older counterpart by Eric M. Harvey What a pleasant surprise. A Judd Apatow produced movie written by Apatow regulars Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown that doesn’t wear out its welcome and garners more legitimate laughs than most of the films stamped with Apatow’s name, like SUPERBAD. I make that distinction because DRILLBIT TAYLOR really is a prequel to SUPERBAD. It’s basically the three same characters in their freshman year. You’ve got Seth, Evan and Fogell (McLovin) just out of junior high and ready to shine. The thing is, they were much cooler and funnier than their senior year counterparts. MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More The three protagonists mentioned above have different names this time and a new set of wacky situations. Wade (Nate Hartley), Ryan (Troy Gentile) and Emitt (David Dorfman) have a bully problem in the form of Filkins (Alex Frost), an emancipated minor who borders on the psychotic. Sick of all the torment they’ve received in a very short time upon entering their first year of high school, the three put an ad out over the internet for a bodyguard. After a series of amusing interviews with prospective bully-fighters, they settle on the only one in their $83 price range, a homeless Army Ranger and possible Iraq vet calling himself Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson). MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More Drillbit is a charming homeless person who’s trying to leave the U.S. for Canada. To do this, he needs a few hundred dollars to make his dream a reality and isn’t above a little petty theft and misrepresentation to meet his needs. As a bodyguard, he’s terrible; his main problem in life is his fear of confrontation. However, it’s quite easy to fool a trio of abused frosh who look to Drillbit to save them from the increasingly violent Filkins. DRILLBIT TAYLOR mines a lot of laughs from its MY BODYGUARD premise (going as far as to include an amusing cameo from Adam Baldwin) and actually tops SUPERBAD in the humor department, doing so without the forced bawdy comedy that many people found appealing about that film. The script has a lot of holes and falls in on itself a lot, but you find yourself forgiving it its trespasses, like most likable comedies. MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More And while DRILLBIT has the patented Judd Apatow raunchy-comedy-with-a-heart motif, it’s more in tune with the underplayed generic 80’s comedy version of this plot device rather than the fuzzy-feeling man love and general emasculation Apatow seems so fond of foisting on the public. Here there’s heart and dignity. The cast gives great performances all around, with only Wilson having a hard time finding his character. When he’s on, in that charming Owen Wilson way, he’s unstoppable. Other times, it seems as though he’s sleepwalking through his role. MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More The version I saw was the PG-13 theatrical version and per usual, an unrated version was recently released on DVD as well. I fear the unrated DRILLBIT TAYLOR as I fear all unrated comedies now: they usually add more and give less, making a well-oiled machine a loose cinematic cannon. Somebody needs to give this unrated, uncalled for and unimpressive marketing ploy a rest, unless what was cut has something to offer an audience. As it stands, the MPAA rated DRILLBIT TAYLOR is a fun sight to see.
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