Saturday, March 29, 2008

Comedy 'Drillbit Taylor' is almost good

By Katie Libecco

I hate underdog stories.

While "Drillbit Taylor" succeeds where a lot of high school movies fall short, but the sickeningly sweet triumph of what could be the nerdiest kids ever takes away from it accomplishes.

Let's start at the most obvious positive point: these kids look like they are in high school. None of that Megan Fox as Mikaela in "Transformers" nonsense - these are the skinny, nerdy kids that were in class with me a few years back. Nate Hartley as Wade, Troy Gentile as Ryan and David Dorfman as Emmitt are about as awkward as high school freshman get.

The trio hire a bodyguard to protect them from bullies: Filkins (Alex Frost) and Ronnie (Josh Peck). As the California kids are short of cash, they end up hiring a homeless guy - Owen Wilson as Drillbit Taylor.

Frost and Peck are highly successful at portraying the sadistic seniors, looking like they almost enjoy the roles a little too much.

"Have you seen those high school fights on YouTube? Kids are brutal," Ryan explains of high school kids' violent behavior.

Speaking of violent behavior, the Ultimate Fighting junkie in me was most impressed by Chuck Liddell's cameo as a testerone-raging bodyguard tryout. I think Chuck Liddell should have a cameo in every movie I see.

Wilson plays Drillbit, and AWOL Army Ranger, as calm and cool. While this makes him likable, it almost is pretty unbelievable that he ever had Army training or has survived as a homeless man on California streets.

"Drillbit Taylor" is rated PG-13, I'm assuming mostly for pretty graphic language for high school freshman and for the graphic language from the soundtrack. (Let's just say Eminem adds to the color of the film.)

But, great acting makes me really hate this film.

Let me explain. These kids do an amazing job playing the most irritating, awkward, goofy freshman to ever hit the hallways. Their attackers do an even better job playing "the cool kids." And while I feel I should try to relate to the underdogs because of my own nerdy roots, the possibility of a high school full of students worshipping the freshman for bringing down the bullies is beyond bizarre.

If the writers wanted to play in the world of fantastic, they should have started from the beginning instead making a happily-ever-after out of what could've been a good movie.