World's Greatest Dad

Comedian-cum-filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait's most accessible film to date (but still mighty strange), World's Greatest Dad is a very black comedy-drama about a milquetoast schoolteacher and his repulsive son, who becomes a cultural icon after a freak accident. A mostly delicious deadpan satire on the cults that spring up around dead celebrities, the film stars Robin Williams (in his ultra-recessive mode) as Lance Clayton, a forlorn English teacher at a Seattle high school and aspiring writer who has suffered numerous rejections from publishers. Lance's romance with a fellow teacher grows lukewarm after he's professionally overshadowed by a popular new instructor whose first article is accepted by The New Yorker. But the real disaster lies in Lance's home life: namely, his teenage son, Kyle (Daryl Sabara), a totally obnoxious kid with failing grades whose only passion seems to be the grossest sort of pornography. When the boy's habit of solitary self-gratification comes to an unhappy end, Lance uses his writing skill to cover up the truth, and his efforts bring the kid posthumous adulation, as well as literary recognition for Lance. Had the film ended on this bleak note, it would have been a cheekily macabre take on society's skewed obsession with celebrity; unfortunately, however, Goldthwait opts for a last-minute cop-out reversal that places sweetness and integrity above deception and nastiness. Still, this is recommend, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait, a behind-the-scenes featurette (18 min.), “HDNet: A Look at World's Greatest Dad” (5 min.), deleted scenes (5 min.), outtakes (2 min.), the music video “I Hope I Become a Ghost” performed by the Deadly Syndrome, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an interesting black dramedy.] (F. Swietek)