World’s Greatest Dad – 4*
Ever felt like life has dealt you a series of bum cards, like everyone else around you appears to be zooming along in the fast lane, whilst you get left behind waiting for your ultimate ride? It’s the concept behind former stand-up comedian and writer/diector Bobcat Goldthwait’s World’s Greatest Dad, a comedy of the deepest, darkest hue that it’s truly wicked and daring in the same light. It also stars Robin Williams who like many of his comic contemporaries (Jim Carrey, Steve Carell etc), ironically, appears to be far more enticing to watch in straighter, edgier roles that explore the fine line between comedy and pain, than he is in straight comedy ones. It’s also a welcome return to form for Williams – even if we see an awful lot more of him than expect.
As hapless Lance Clayton, a downtrodden teacher by day, but a struggling writer and tormented father of awkward teen potty mouth Kyle (Daryl Sabara) by night, Williams is immensely refreshing and a little bit risqué in this delicious and cinematically subdued indie production that reveals subliminal, satirical humour through the poignant everyday situations Clayton experiences, as his life begins to unravel. Aside from One Hour Photo, this is perhaps one of the most compelling parts Williams has ever tackled, allowing him to visit the full breadth of the emotional spectrum, combining both laughter and tragedy in one truly rich character on the fast track to near middle-age breakdown. But Clayton gets a different kind of break through a personal tragedy, after experiencing the searing pain of losing someone close. The trigger point in the story is portrayed in one of the most memorable, climatic and artistically enacted grief scenes to date that proves quite unsettling to watch, but is not without its twisted sense of humour waiting in the wings.
What transpires after this turning point and takes the film to an amoral dimension that is a whirlwind of fun to follow is a father not only trying to cope with his grief, but battling his guilty conscience at having the dream opportunity and time of his life. Similar to a 2010 version of Heathers, this story looks at all manner of sins, including greed and vanity and the modern-day unhealthy obsession with fame. However, it inevitably sides with morality – only after the damage has been done.
The film adds lashings of cynicism, almost mocking our expectation of a neat return to order. We are still undecided on the ending that seems to suggest that if you stand on the outside of conformity, you always will, and ought to expect this is your lot, but it’s tricky to think of how better to end this film, and its conclusion is as good as any other for such a sharply executed tale from an aspiring director.
4/5 stars
By L G-K
