Drillbit Taylor (2008)
Average Rating: 4.5/10
Reviews Counted: 142
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 106
Owen Wilson's charms can't save Drillbit Taylor, an unfunny, overly familiar bullied-teen comedy.
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 27
Owen Wilson's charms can't save Drillbit Taylor, an unfunny, overly familiar bullied-teen comedy.
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Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 96,726
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Movie Info
Determined not to spend their entire high-school career being tormented by the local bully, three freshmen place an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine seeking an experienced combat veteran to protect them in this comedy produced by Judd Apatow, penned by Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown, and starring Owen Wilson. It's their first day of high school, and best friends Ryan (Troy Gentile), Wade (Nate Hartley), and Emmit (David Dorfman) are determined to make the most out of the next four years.
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Cast
-
Owen Wilson
Drillbit Taylor -
Leslie Mann
Lisa -
Nate Hartley
Wade -
Troy Gentile
Ryan -
David Dorfman
Emmit -
Alex Frost
Filkins -
Josh Peck
Ronnie -
Danny McBride
Don -
Jonathan Lane
Filkins' Friend -
Valerie Tian
Brooke -
Shane Ryan
High School Student -
Lisa Ann Walter
Dolores -
Ian Roberts
Jim -
Beth Littleford
Barbara -
Chris Stein
Guitar -
Lisa Lampanelli
Ronnie's mom -
Andrew Caldwell
Filkins' Buddy
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Drillbit Taylor Trailer & Photos
All Critics (144) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (108) | DVD (9)
The action sags in the middle, but director Steven Brill gets mileage out of some funny cameos and good one-liners.
Top Critic'Drillbit Taylor' is a bit of a giggle, but it lacks bite and direction: even the old prom showdown routine would have enlivened this aimless comedy.
The constant fighting and punching gets nastier and less funny, the film drags on for far too long, and the ending is uninspired and predictable.
Drillbit Taylor is as clunky and humorless as its title.
Maybe I should have bought popcorn; this movie undoubtedly goes down better when it's partially drowned out by munching.
Despite sharing a producer in comedy-genius-of-the-moment Judd Apatow, a co-writer in Seth Rogen and somewhat similar territory, Drillbit Taylor doesn't measure up to the raunchy classic that gave the world McLovin.
The characters are so uneven it feels like two different movies awkwardly fused together.
Most of it is the same high school comedy we've been watching since John Hugh's heyday 20 years ago. Everyone is either popular and cruel (because in teenager-land one de facto means the other) or awkward and thus fair game for the popular kids.
All too kiddie for Apatow's older fan base and a bit too rough and violent to be an all-ages, family-friendly film.
...aggressively bland...
Has enough heart and insight into the complexities of being a teenager today that you can overlook some of its other shortcomings - primarily in the tired act of the titular character.
A distaff version of Weird Science with a similar metaphysical disregard for logic
Wilson proves again that he's a quick-witted comedic treasure—he's the sort of actor who gets hired to make mediocre movies almost good by his sheer force of comic will. [Blu-Ray]
...cold, mean-spirited, and tiresome. (Blu-ray Edition)
A Superbad lite knockoff replacing sex with violence and minus the dirty talk, Drillbit Taylor is its own worst enemy by tackling a grim subject like school bullies for laughs.
Give me Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise instead.
...silly, sentimental, sometimes cruel, often clumsy, mostly unfunny, and frustratingly inane.
What worked for me were the three kids, but every time Wilson shows up the movie comes to a complete halt.
Leaves its stain less on [Luke] Wilson than on the fellows who are trying to harness his smirk and his persona without the delicate touch that [Wes] Anderson and Wilson made look easy.
Audience Reviews for Drillbit Taylor
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Don: There not scared of me, I'm sexy.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Underrated comedy | 38 days ago | 0 |
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