It’s easy to get a feeling of déjà vu when watching “Mr. Woodcock,” the new film from long-time TV commercial director Craig Gillespie.
If you’re looking to watch kids get whaled on in a gym class environment, “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” does that shtick ten times better. If you want to see Billy Bob Thornton being an arrogant jerk, “School for Scoundrels” and “Bad Santa” are both funnier. If you want to watch Ethan Suplee being an idiot, “My Name is Earl” is on NBC every Thursday. And if you think Seann William Scott is actually funny, the three “American Pie” movies might be right up your alley.
“Mr. Woodcock” takes its cues from all of the aforementioned ventures and does so unabashedly and without a grain of originality.
The film tells the story of motivational author John Farley (Scott) who returns to his hometown to receive an award, only to find his mother (Susan Sarandon) shacked up with Mr. Woodcock, the elementary school gym teacher (Thornton) who tormented him throughout his youth. The premise is set up quickly, giving Farley the rest of the movie to team up with an old friend (Suplee) to try and destroy the relationship in various stupid and violent ways that are intended to be comical.
This movie might get a few chuckles out of you, but much of the material falls flat. Scott is generally unlikable as the spoiled and selfish son who stands in the way of his mother’s happiness. Thornton is funny at times, but it’s a routine he seems to have settled into as an actor. He really phoned this performance in and it shows. As the doting mother figure, Sarandon is not bad, per se, but she seems out of place.
Seeing Suplee in the film is a nice surprise, as he is generally a charming figure in whatever venture he chooses. However, as stated earlier, his performance here hits a little too close to his dimwitted character on “My Name is Earl.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if that’s what you’re looking for, you can get it for free on your television.
The real bright spot in the cast is Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler as John Farley’s agent. She delivers every line with an acerbic sarcasm, usually while downing an alcoholic beverage. She is outrageous, offensive and really fun to watch.
Novices Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert penned the script, which leaves much to be desired. Many of the setups and jokes are unintentionally awkward. The script relies heavily on voiceovers where the audience hears what a character is thinking to the point that it seems like a crutch. The idea of a love interest for Scott’s character seems thrown in haphazardly and is subsequently forgotten about for much of the film.
In short, “Mr. Woodcock” is poorly crafted, unoriginal and uninteresting. Aside from a few comedic moments and a great performance from Poehler, the film is nothing audiences haven’t seen before.
