Change Your Image
pranavroh
Reviews
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Redefines Black Comedy
What is with Robin Williams and father figures? Whether it is playing that role in the much – dissed Old Dogs, or the much acclaimed Jumanji, or the much ho hummed Hook, he seems to have an addiction for the father figure role and the opportunity to change lives and reconnect with his on-screen children. While the title might force you to expect a run of the mill Disney quality story about the virtues of fatherhood, WGD offers you something quite different with the blackest comedy in recent times.
What happens to a father figure who fails in his task? How do you deal with a son who is not only a sexual deviant with disturbing tastes, but is also bogged down with serious developmental problems? This is no cheesy love tale of father and son or about a busy single father finding love and happiness. Its a movie which redefines the term lonely and cuts to the bone, while laying bare the hypocrisy in society. They say Humor and Comedy are great media to make meaningful movies . WGD goes the distance and offers something new with every viewing.
The premise is shocking. After a monologue from Williams laying bare his aspirations to be a writer we are introduced to the puerile and disturbing person that is his son -Kyle(Sabara). He hates his dad for no particular reason, dominates him at every turn and has no respect for his authority. He has no friends at school, no respect for women and behaves quite abominably. Sabara plays his role so well that you have no sympathy for his character and your gut actually wrenches with his disturbing portrayal. I believe that this reaction from the audience would make what follows one of the most memorable comedies of recent times.
Contrasted against Kyle is the bland and troubled school teacher that Williams so effortlessly portrays. His Poetry course is the least popular in the school, he has a girlfriend Claire(Gilmore) who is ashamed of being seen with him and who he is slowly losing to the most popular teacher in school, Mike(Simmons). The Principal (Pierson) threatens to fire him and expel his son . And his Son hates him. In addition, his attempts at being a writer seem to be going nowhere. Goldthwaite spends a major part of the movie laying out the principal characters and driving home the complete loser – team that Lance and his Son Kyle make. Suddenly, when you least expect it, Kyle dies – in extremely embarrassing circumstances true to character. To hide the circumstances of his son's death, Lance fakes a suicide, writes a fake suicide note and tries to put it all behind him. But his troubles are just beginning.
What follows is an amazing and insightful portrayal of the effects of death and how it serves to clean the image of a person
to make his memory greater than life and how it can cover even the most tarnished reputation in a Halo of greatness. When the accidental publication of the suicide note transforms Kyle into a cult figure, Lance is left bewildered and shocked at the turn of events. I wont give away more of this plot, watch it
you wont regret it.
This movie was not made for the mainstream, nor was it made to satisfy the optimist in us. Its bitter sweet portrayal of the American Middle Class with all its problems and missed opportunities is an ode to the beauty of the Screenplay, Writing and Direction. The success of the movie also lies in the amazing performances of the Supporting Cast, whether it is the ambivalent Girlfriend played by Alexie Gilmore or the confident teacher played by Simmons. Even the students and their volte face regarding their feelings for Kyle is something that is believably done with just the right exaggeration that separates humor from reality. In the end, the main message that, it is possible to feel all alone even when surrounded by people couldn't be clearer.
I was quite impressed with how far Sabara has come. The only other memorable role of his that I remember is his innocent and worried portrayal of Juni Cortez in Spy Kids all those years ago. As Kyle, Sabara is at his very best and shows his ability to venture into the experimental territory of Hollywood that separates good actors from great ones.
Robin Williams needs no introduction. He is one of the best actors that Hollywood has to offer and he justifies this time and again. Other actors in Hollywood would do well to learn from him. He is a a whirlpool of emotion throughout the film, whether it is embarrassment, suspicion, laughter or crushing sadness, Robbins plays them all well and plays them with elan.
The One Complaint I have regarding the film is the length. With a two hour film, Goldthwaite might have had more to time to make the reactions a little more convincing and to spend more time showing how Kyle's death acts as a catalyst for change in attitude. As it transpires, one and a half hours takes something away from the natural development of the plot and makes it seem a little rushed and contrived. However I was still very happy with the overall result.
My Final word is this: One of the Best Movies of 2010, World's Greatest Dad is a stunning achievement from a relatively new director and a critical success. From the leading performances to the Screenplay, the movie is pure magic and has something for all of us. Where it succeeds is in baring the human soul. Fans of meaningful cinema – Don't miss this one!! Four Stars out of Five.
Person of Interest: The Devil's Share (2013)
One of the greatest television shows of all time
Person of Interest will probably always be an under rated series, for several reasons. The premise sounds a little bland when you explain it to someone."Haven't we seen millions of shows like this before?" they might ask. Even recommending the show might not do them any good. The first ten episodes of the first season are bland, run of the mill cops and robber chases with some interesting sequences where Reese (Caviezel) beats up bad guys with furniture, trucks and grenade launchers in tow. A testosterone fuelled hour of television for your nights of mindless entertainment. Most (like I initially did) might ditch the show after this moving on to bigger, better things like breaking bad or The Walking Dead. I did too. I count myself lucky for having given this show a second chance. Jonathan Nolan has done something wonderful with this show. He kept the story and template he envisioned as his first priority, managed to keep it running for a full season and things began to get interesting , the show evolved slowly into something that was better than the sum of its parts and has reached a pinaccle of greatness though I believe, in time that it will top it. Characters were moved into place, backstory revealed, the quest for mastery of the Machine moved from one unexpected plot twist to another, The Russians, HR and the Mafia were at constant loggerheads, faceless government assassins were everywhere. The beauty of this show (apart from the mind numbing and beautiful tapestry of its complex mythology) is that Nolan knew when to pull the plug. Elias has fallen from grace, HR died but they didn't cut off the head and it rose again, the FBI pursued Reese and out of that pursuit we met his old partner who died and left a clue to Finch's involvement in the original mission to China in which Reese had his (un)fortunate falling out with the CIA. Things kept piling up, layer upon layer of story built up and every time a door closed somewhere the showrunners would follow through, make it a case of consequence of action and reaction which lent a dynamic flow to the series. The death of Joss Carter was not a bold move as everyone makes it out to be. It was (and I believe the showrunners will agree with me ) a necessary one. It might seem bold for television which likes to milk a cash cow until it gives up the ghost, however I respect stories that end and I respect showrunners that write stories with an end in mind. Lost was a great and misguided series but it will still be a legend because it ENDED. The ending makes all the difference and the death of Joss Carter, while not THE ENDING of the show was A ending and a very necessary one. IGN rated "The Crossing" a perfect 10 but I feel they were misguided. The perfect 10 belongs to the midseason finale :The Devils Share" which dealt with the fallout of this event in an amazing hour of television that really serves to tell us why this show and its showrunners need to be congratulated on building something poignant, incredible and meaningful out of the loose plot threads and testosterone that were present at the beginning of this series. It is a great great honour to be someone who watches this show and I hope I get to do that for a long long time to come. I will be present at THE END of the journey as well. When it comes, it will be a fitting finale to a wonderful series. For now, I am just content to sit back and let Nolan and his showrunners tell their story. Amen.