Who'da Thunk It???

You ever heard of Bobcat Goldthwait?
He's a stand up comedian who became fairly famous here in the US back in the 1980s.


Mostly known for his bizarre, high-pitched voice and manic persona (--Well, that, and once setting fire to Jay Leno's couch), Bobcat Goldthwait was a true "badboy" comic back in his prime. Like Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks, he had some raunchy, rather dark, material, and was precisely the kind of stand-up one might expect to die of an overdose at a young age.

Not to mention, he played Zed in Police Academy.

(What Zed might look like.)

Anyway, I always thought old Bobcat was pretty funny, but I never would have suspected that he's actually become a FILMMAKER in recent years. Yup. Seems that, since the mid 2000s, he's been writing and directing movies, and I watched a couple of them this weekend (most are available for streaming on Netflix). Folks, I gotta tell ya -- this Bobcat Goldthwait character is one HELLUVA story teller.

Really!

Both of the Bobcat movies I screened in recent days were downright brilliant, and I very much look forward to his next effort, God Bless America, which was at the Toronto Film Festival this month. My GOD, it looks friggin' hilarious!!!

(I absolutely want to see this flick RIGHT NOW).

But let's get down to serious business here. I've got two quick reviews for you today -- both in regards to Bobcat Goldthwait films, and BOTH good.

Enjoy the show.

World's Greatest Dad (2009)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262981/


Netflix description:
After his son (Daryl Sabara) dies in an awkward freak accident, high school poetry teacher Lance (Robin Williams) ghostwrites a suicide note to spare the family embarrassment. But when the note becomes an unexpected hit, Lance sees a chance to resurrect his writing career. In a bid for literary fame, Lance writes his son's journal and passes it off as his own. Writer-director Bob Goldthwait's comedy debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.


This one is, without a doubt, among the the funniest, darkest, films I have seen in the past few years. Let's establish that right now.

For me, it's a buyer.

OK so, World's Greatest Dad stars Robin Williams as Lance, an average single father with a long-held and very deep wish to become a writer. He may or may not actually be "good" (that doesn't matter); the point here is that Lance really, REALLY WANTS to get published, and has failed on every single attempt.

Well, Lance has a 15 year old son, and frankly, the kid's a little douchebag. Named Kyle, Lance's spawn has a variety of personal problems -- among them the fact that he's obsessed with German poop porn, and blatantly insults his dad right to the poor sap's very face. Not even I was that bad at his age!

(GodDAMN, was I ugly.)

Long story short, Kyle dies one night in an auto-erotic asphyxiation incident, and Lance, fearing embarrassment, covers it up to make the whole thing look like a suicide.


Lance writes an eloquent suicide note for his son, and everything seems to die down...until, that is, the kid's school newspaper obtains and prints said letter. Almost immediately, Kyle becomes the local teenage hero. ALL of the students suddenly start claiming to have known him, and he's remembered as some kind of sensitive genius (HA!). Our pal Lance just roles with it all at first, but when someone asks him for another of Kyle's writing samples, he makes one up himself, and once again, it becomes a huge hit with one and all.

A whirlwind of tears and platitudes then ensue, ultimately leading to the offering of a book deal to Lance and a talk show appearance. WILL this poor man crack under such guilt-ridden pressure and just admit that his son did NOT, in fact, commit suicide???

(By the way, Krist Novelselic, the bassist for my all-time favorite band, Nirvana, has a 10 second cameo in this movie. No point to mentioning that, really -- I just wanted to bring it up since I'm so proud of myself for having caught it on my own.)

Folks, World's Greatest Dad is funny, irreverent, daring, thought-provoking, and in the end, deeply heartfelt. What begins with a somewhat vulgar premise winds up causing us to cry and smile a little (well, maybe a lot, actually). I was blown away by this movie. It now ranks as among the few I have seen which made me wish I had pursued my own dream of becoming a filmmaker.

The clever writing and oddball direction here truly surprised me. And Robin Williams (for as annoying as he can be on many occasions), proves once again that he really is, at the end of the day, an incredibly talented actor. What a sensitive, relatable, performance! Robin, this is yet another occasion in which you probably deserved an Oscar.

We SYMPATHIZE with Lance, even though what he's doing is fundamentally wrong. I applaud any actor who can lead a film and make us feel that way for such a character, and I also salute Bobcat Goldthwait for making me laugh, cry, and (yes) puke a little.

Short review, to be sure...but I'm telling you: World's Greatest Dad is an EXCELLENT friggin' film. I watched it three times this weekend, and found it to be a true feel-good experience.


Check it out.

5 out of 5.

OK, one down, and one more to go....

NUMBER TWO, please step forward!

Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492492/


Netflix description:
All hell breaks loose when a woman reveals a secret to her fiancé in comedian-director Bob Goldthwait's edgy romantic comedy. Encouraged by her mother and co-worker, Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) tells her husband-to-be about a rather shocking past sexual encounter. But her confession threatens to destroy the relationship, and what unfolds is a story of integrity, family ties, bravery and forgiveness. Bryce Johnson and Colby French co-star.

This one is another great film from Bobcat...although its very premise may turn some folks off from the get-go, and I can't necessarily fault them for it.

Look, I'll give you a small spoiler (you find this information out with the movie's first line of dialogue, anyway): this here is the story of a woman who once blew a dog, OK??? There. I said it.

I know, I know -- that's a pretty darn messed up thing to have done, but stick with me for a minute....

The chick's name is Amy, and she's a truly SWEET person, despite what I just wrote. Hard to believe, but I assure you, Amy is perfect in just about every other way. It's just that her one flaw happens to be that she engaged in a single act of bestiality while in college. Hey, give her a break; it happens!

Anyway, Amy is set to marry a dude named John, and she sort of agonizes over whether or not to share this bizarre secret with him. I mean, it's a good question -- is ABSOLUTE honesty necessary for a strong marriage? OR, should we sometimes keep certain details to ourselves, for the sake of others??

What do YOU think???


Hey, I can't defend Amy's initial act, or the fact that the first 20 minutes of Sleeping Dogs Lie are, admittedly, pretty damn sick; but by the end of this motion picture, I found myself laughing and crying almost as much as I did with World's Greatest Dad. This is high quality, very witty, stuff right here!

You know, it speaks to the abilities of Bobcat Goldthwait as a filmmaker that he could have made something like Sleeping Dogs Lie in the first place, and pulled any kind of emotional reaction out of us at all. I HONESTLY loved and forgave Amy by the end of the movie.

Half of the credit, of course, for that should go to star Melinda Paige Hamilton (yet another amazing performer) for crafting a wonderful character in spite of all mistakes she may have made; but the rest of the praise for Sleeping Dogs Lie should be sent straight (once again) in the direction of Bobcat Goldthwait hisself.

What a guy!


If you can get past the shear grossness of this picture's concept, I also recommend it.

4 out of 5.

So, there you go, friends -- two great movies, from one ingenious man. Watch either, and keep your eyes pealed for God Bless America, due out soon.

See you in a few days!

b.