Drillbit Taylor DVD Review
Directed by: Steven Brill
Written by: Kristofor Brown, Seth Rogen
Starring: Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman, Danny McBride, Leslie Mann

In the months following the summer of Knocked Up and Superbad it seemed that Judd Apatow could do no wrong. If The 40-Year-Old Virgin was his breakout hit, then these two films had cemented his name as the new go-to guy for comedy gold, leaving studios scrambling to get his name on any upcoming project they could.

Then came Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, followed by Drillbit Taylor and suddenly the Apatow name wasn’t quite so untouchable anymore. Drillbit Taylor in particular got hit hard by critics, although to be fair, it was another Apatow production that was not directed by the man himself. Instead, Steven Brill (whose credits include the forgettable Without a Paddle, Mr. Deeds and Little Nicky) was forced to shoulder some of the blame. But with a cast that includes Owen Wilson and Danny McBride, and a screenplay co-written by Seth Rogen, how bad could it really be?

As it turns out, Drillbit Taylor is a charming and amusing, although ultimately inconsistent, comedy. I maintain that the idea is a pretty funny one: a group of teenage nerds are being terrorized by a bully at their high school, to the point where they eventually decide to hire a bodyguard. Unfortunately, with their limited funds, they are forced to settle for the bargain basement fees of a scruffy former soldier turned homeless drifter who is now in desperate need of some cash.

A lot of people have made comparisons between this movie and Superbad, primarily because both are Apatow flicks that focus on three outsiders in high school. However, these two movies are actually worlds apart, because Superbad is an R-rated sex comedy, while this film is clearly aimed at a younger audience and is much more innocent in its approach. It’s interesting to note that the movie is based on a story idea by John Hughes, and it does feel a bit like something out of the 80’s. (There’s a pretty obvious homage to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in there as well.)

One of the weakest aspects of Drillbit Taylor is the casting of the kids themselves. While Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile and David Dorfman certainly look the part (can you believe that Dorfman was the kid from The Ring?), they don’t really have a lot of charisma or chemistry together. At times they exude the natural awkwardness that made Christopher Mintz-Plasse so great as McLovin, but for the most part, it feels like they are mugging for the camera a little too much.

Owen Wilson, on the other hand, is pretty hilarious, even when he seems to be sleepwalking through some of the scenes. He is certainly at his most effective when he has high energy actors playing opposite him (ie. Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn), but he is so great at deadpan delivery and subtle timing that he really saves this movie from being a disaster. Judd Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann is also funny as his excitable love interest, and Danny McBride is perfect (although underused) as his dirtbag friend.

One thing that I didn’t expect was just how much the movie focused on the bully situation. I mean, almost every minute was spent dealing with it or worrying about it in some way. There is very little time spent just hanging out with the kids, which means their characters don’t have much of a chance to make us laugh with their own quirky traits. They just react to stuff around them.

The final showdown is also way more drawn out and suspenseful than I thought it would be, although in this case it actually works because it makes the pay off that much better. Even though the movie feels a little sappy at times, the relationship that forms between Drillbit Taylor and the kids is actually pretty touching and it sort of holds the whole thing together.

The DVD release of the movie claims to be “extended and unrated”, but there aren’t any added gross-out jokes involving pubic hair or anything like that. There might be a couple extra swear words, but clearly it’s just a marketing gimmick. There are a fair amount of extra features though, including an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, gag reel, a conversation with the writers, and a featurette on Danny McBride (which only seems to have been included because he has now made a name for himself with The Foot Fist Way).

In the end, I don’t really regret missing Drillbit Taylor in theatres, but I think it makes for a decent night’s rental now that it’s available on DVD. If you were turned off by the potty-mouth humour in Superbad, or if you’re simply a fan of Owen Wilson, then you should definitely give this a try. If you ask me, there are more than enough laughs to make it worth the price of admission. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: You, Me and Dupree, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Revenge of the Nerds