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Movies / On DVD / World's Greatest Dad
World's Greatest Dad

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World's Greatest Dad (2009)

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Reviews Counted:79

Fresh:67

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: World's Greatest Dad is a risky, deadpan, dark comedy that effectively explores the nature of posthumous cults of celebrity.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, crude and sexual content, some drug use and disturbing images.

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Aug 21, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $166,467

Synopsis: A thoughtful but outrageous comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, WORLD’S GREATEST DAD is a story about a man that learns the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy, and that being... A thoughtful but outrageous comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, WORLD’S GREATEST DAD is a story about a man that learns the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy, and that being lonely is not necessarily the same as being alone.

Robin Williams stars as Lance Clayton, a man who has learned to settle. He dreamed of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is an insufferable jackass who won’t give his father the time of day. He is dating Claire (Alexie Gilmore), the school’s adorable art teacher, but she doesn’t want to get serious -- or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating.

Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of all the fame, fortune and popularity he ever dreamed of, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there. --© Magnolia Pictures [More]

Starring: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Henry Simmons

Starring: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Henry Simmons

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Screenwriter: Bobcat Goldthwait
Producer: Tim Perell, Howard Gertler, Sean McKittrick, Richard Kelly
Composer: Gerald Brunskill
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Dec 8, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • English
  • Subtitles - Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for World's Greatest Dad

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Tonally erratic, but chock-full of interesting concepts.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
11/17/09
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

Not a terrible movie about a Walter Mitty dad and a creepy son who kills himself through asphyxiation while jerking off. If you like dark comedy, you will like this. At least, it is more interesting than the latest commodity from Jude Apatow.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
11/13/09
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A mind-blowing shot of misanthropic, black-comic genius.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
11/06/09
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

Hit-and-miss black comedy about getting your 15 minutes of fame. The first act is so overdone that you want to bail, but it all comes together by the time you reach the very predictable ending. Paul Chambers, CNN.

Full Review Source: CNNRadio | comment Comment
11/01/09
Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
CNNRadio

In the end everything comes out as mawkish as you would expect from a Robin Williams film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/27/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A surprisingly sharp and cynical story about success, public image, and fame and is about both those who have it and those who don't.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
10/25/09
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

It’s hard to argue with Goldthwait’s assertion that society’s search for spokesmen leads to false prophets, but it feels like an observation well-made many times over in the ’90s, at the height of anti-celebrity culture.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
10/14/09
Justin Strout
Justin Strout
Orlando Weekly

...bravely acted (especially by Robin Williams, who's much better in roles like these than when he's called on to be "funny") and invigoratingly dark.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
10/05/09
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

For fans of perversely dark comedy, World's Greatest Dad is a treasure trove of morbid sarcasm and gleeful malevolence.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
10/01/09
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Sly and Subtle. Not Bad for the Guy from the Police Academy films.

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
09/27/09
Jimmy O
Jimmy O
Film Snobs

I'm not going to talk about the twist that happens 40 minutes into the film. You can probably find other critics who will try and kill the twist for you, but not me.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
09/23/09
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

A pitch-black dark comedy that certainly won't be for everyone %u2014 but if you can stomach it, it's the most outrageous and audacious film of the season.

Full Review Source: The Trend | comment Comment
09/21/09
Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver
The Trend

Too enamored of its cleverness... but unusual and worth seeing...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
09/21/09
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Offering Robin Williams his richest role in memory while serving up a nice cold bowl of shock soup for the audience, World's Greatest Dad is a surprisingly smart and severely twisted dark comedy from comic Bobcat Goldthwait.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
09/21/09
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is the sort of movie that sends me to the keyboard to topple negative expectations, praise the participants, and hopefully drive up their box office a little.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
09/12/09
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

World's Greatest Dad is twisted, dark and uncomfortable to watch, but it finds a strikingly original brand of humanity in the final reel.

Full Review Source: What Would Toto Watch? | comment Comment
09/11/09
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
What Would Toto Watch?

Making Kyle godawful may seem edgy, even authentic. But it's pure setup.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment 1 Comment
09/11/09
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With his delicate mix of sick humor and compassion, Goldthwait is that rare comic writer who can legitimately be compared to Lenny Bruce.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/11/09
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The ironically titled World’s Greatest Dad is one sick movie. That’s a compliment.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
09/10/09
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

There is no limit to this pic's tastelessness, but there's a heart here, too.

Full Review Source: CultureCatch | comment Comment
09/10/09
Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell
CultureCatch
 
 
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Latest News for World's Greatest Dad

August 27, 2009: Robin Williams Talks World's Greatest Dad Opens in new window
Robin Williams was so happy to be a part of Bobcat Goldthwait's "World's Greatest Dad" that he was willing to shave -- and we aren't talking about his face, kids. More...

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This week at the movies, we've got Nazi killers (Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt), a magic rock (Shorts, starring William H. Macy and Leslie Mann),... More...

July 19, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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