The Wind Beneath His Wing: Hollow Protection from a Bodyguard Who's All Talk and No Fight
By Omar P.L. Moore/March 21, 2008
Clockwise from left: Troy Gentile, Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley and David Dorfman in "Drillbit Taylor: Budget Bodyguard", which opened across the U.S. and Canada today. (Photo: Suzanne Hanover/Paramount Pictures)
"There you are, right here, under my wing," or words to that effect, are uttered by Drillbit Taylor midway through "Drillbit Taylor: Budget Bodyguard", which opened today across the U.S. and Canada, and just by the way that Owen Wilson says them, you know that his protection promise is as good as a leaky roof. Yet it is not so much predictability that fuels Steven Brills film, rather the adoration that Mr. Wilson's clumsy and not-so-confident character brings to some of the circumstances depicted here. Mr. Wilson after a troubled time off-screen, is back to his best and most bumbling with his role here, after good work in the melo-serious "The Darjeeling Limited" late last year. (Both films were actually shot before his offscreen troubles, it should be pointed out.)
Drillbit Taylor is a U.S. military cast-off, now homeless on the streets of Los Angeles, and he and his fellow desperadoes are looking for a way out. This particular portion of "Drillbit" is slow and uninteresting, and although a few laughs are supplied the film can only go up from here.
And it does -- albeit very marginally.
Three weaklings start their first day of school and are rudely awakened by the sight of two school bullies, who viciously beat up on these helpless mortals without mercy. Before you can say, "kick his cowardly ass!", the entry of Drillbit into the lives of this trio of saplings promises more misery and pain, with many doses of "this will hurt me more than it hurts you" than one can imagine. One of the defenseless is Ryan, a Jonah Hill lookalike (played by Troy Gentile), and that resemblance is likely intentional, considering that one of "Drillbit Taylor"'s producers is Judd Apatow, who has used Mr. Hill's talents in his prior films "Superbad" and "Knocked Up", and to decent effect. (Note: John Hughes, under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes, co-wrote the story with Kristofor Brown & "Knocked Up" star Seth Rogen.)
"Drillbit Taylor" is a modest form of comic
relief and Mr. Apatow's wife Leslie Mann ("Knocked Up") goes along for the
ride as Lisa, a high school teacher who has a penchant of falling for pure
losers.
Mr. Wilson keeps his character interesting to a point, but it is only a very temporary interest. Although there are laughs, sometimes awfully loud ones to keep Mr. Brill's otherwise paper-thin film from falling off the Santa Monica Pier (much of the film was shot in the Southern California city), at the end of the 100 or so minutes, the film's standard drill is one that more likely bores holes into the imagination rather than inspires a torrent of laughter. No sequels need apply -- this is barely enough fun for a franchise of one.
Mr. Wilson keeps his character interesting to a point, but it is only a very temporary interest. Although there are laughs, sometimes awfully loud ones to keep Mr. Brill's otherwise paper-thin film from falling off the Santa Monica Pier (much of the film was shot in the Southern California city), at the end of the 100 or so minutes, the film's standard drill is one that more likely bores holes into the imagination rather than inspires a torrent of laughter. No sequels need apply -- this is barely enough fun for a franchise of one.
"Drillbit Taylor: Budget Bodyguard" is
rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for crude sexual
references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and
partial nudity. The film's duration is one hour and 42 minutes.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2008. All Rights Reserved.