New Line Home Entertainment / 2007 / 88 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: January 15, 2008
List Price: $28.98 [Buy it at Amazon.com]
Director:
Craig Gillespie
Starring:
Billy Bob Thornton ………. Jasper Woodcock
Sean William Scott ………. John Farley
Susan Sarandon ………. Beverly Farley
Ethan Suplee ………. Nedderman
Amy Poehler ………. Maggie Hoffman
Bill Macy ………. Mr. Woodcock’s Father
Jacob Davich ………. Nedderman’s Brother
The Movie
Billy Bob Thornton has become known for playing characters that are rude, crude, and really not that nice. But he plays these characters in just the right way to make them funny, if the script allows Thornton to run wild with those characters. Sean William Scott has played characters that have often been considered to be not very smart and usually losers. Again, it helps if the script is good and whether or not Scott has equal comedic support around him. So a movie about a mean gym teacher still ruining the life of one of his students after all these years would seem to be a perfect fit for Billy Bob Thornton and Sean William Scott respectively. The question here is does the script allow this movie to actually be funny?
Sean William Scott plays John Farley. While John was growing up, him and many of his classmates were being tormented by a sadistic gym teacher named Mr. Jasper Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). Things have since turned out quite well for John, who has gone on to become a successful self-help author and motivational speaker. When he hears that his hometown community wants to reward him for his achievements, he returns thinking that his painful memories of torment are now buried and long behind him. To his surprise and horror, Mr. Woodcock, the man that humiliated and insulted him for years, is now dating his widowed mother Beverly (Susan Sarandon). Even worse, the two lovebirds are engaged to be married. Determined not to let Mr. Woodcock ruin his life again, John sets out to prevent the nuptials from taking place by sabotaging his former teacher any way he can.
The premise of the movie sounds good, and it would seem like it would lead to some great comedic material between Sean William Scott and Billy Bob Thornton. However, the script really does let these two stars run wild. It might be because this film is only rated PG-13 and Billy Bob Thornton is really at his best with this kind of character when he gets to tiptoe, if not cross, the line between a R rating and a PG-13 rating. But really the director and the writers don’t go past the basic premise. They seem to believe that the name “Mr. Woodcock” will make you laugh the entire movie. That’s not the case at all.
The real problem here with the script is that halfway through the film the movie starts to become a drama more than a comedy. The laughs get limited to funny but repetitive gags. The more serious tale of self-discovery of a young man who helps millions deal with their past, but can’t let go of his own takes center stage here. Some of the potentially funny undertones of the movie get totally whiffed on and turn into some awkward moments instead. It also doesn’t help that the ending is really predictable given that we have all seen comedies about warring rivals before and there is nothing original here.
The one saving grace for this film is the acting performances from the cast. Billy Bob Thornton and Sean William Scott really do have good comedic chemistry and it’s fun watching them verbally jab at each other back and forth. Susan Sarandon has a rather smaller role than expected, but she is perfectly acceptable as Sean William Scott’s mom and Billy Bob Thornton’s love interest. Ethan Suplee, who plays John Farley’s best friend Nedderman, and Amy Poehler, who plays John Farley’s publicist Maggie Hoffman, are really some bright spots in the film. Unlike the uneven material that Thornton and Scott are given, Poehler and Suplee are given nothing but funny stuff to say and do.
Despite the fact that their characters are respectively not very redeeming and just plain pathetic to root for, Billy Bob Thornton and Sean William Scott do make the best out of them and play off of each wonderfully. Too bad that they aren’t given much to work with. Still the acting is the lone saving grace that rises this movie to being mediocre as a comedy. The uneven script just doesn’t allow Mr. Woodcock to be better, and even fans of the aforementioned actors will find other movies to watch where they essentially play same kind of characters, only funnier.
The Video:
The video is given in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen color, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs. The video is on par with other new release DVDs. No real problems at all.
The Audio:
The audio included is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound or English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. There are subtitles available in English and Spanish as well. The music and dialogue come out loud and clear, so no major problems here either.
The Extras:
“The Making of Mr. Woodcock” Featurette –
As the name suggests, this is the basic “making of” featurette for the movie. It runs 15 minutes long and cast and crew discuss the movie. This is your main informative piece on this movie, so check that out if you want to know the inside scoop.
“P.E. Trauma Tales” Featurette –
This is an interesting featurette. It runs 12 minutes long and basically the cast and crew tell you their trauma tales from their experiences with P.E. class when they were growing up. We also talk to a real-life P.E. teacher, Terry Sobel, as he briefly describes his day as a P.E. teacher, his experiences teaching this class, and the history of P.E. class. He has been doing that job since 1969.
Deleted/Alternate Scenes –
There are 10 scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the movie and all together the run for 12 minutes.
Fans of Billy Bob Thornton and Sean William Scott will probably enjoy this movie. However, you can see them in better movies than this. Still this is an average comedy thanks to them. I can only recommend a rental at best here, since there is nothing that original here and there are better similar movies out there.
