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79 out of 118 people found the following review useful: Another inventive comedy from the Apatow crew, 26 February 2008 Author: Kristen Kallahan from Seattle WA USA
I love IMDb.com. I just came here (after seeing the movie) and saw that John Hughes (using a pseudonym) was one of the writers of this movie. That makes sense, because the movie covers the awkwardness, danger and constant potential for life-ruining humiliation that is freshman year high school. Being "skinny, scared and lonely", as Drillbit Taylor puts it.One of the other writers is the awesome Seth Rogen, co-writer & co-star of "Superbad" and co-star of "Knocked Up".Owen Wilson is funny, sexy and heartwarming in this role. The trio of geeky lads who hire Owen as their protector are all played by wonderful young actors. The Apatow organization seems to have a genius for finding great and funny teen actors. I was especially impressed by Alex Frost (he plays the bully) who I think has stardom in his future.The small roles of the film are filled by standup comics and "The Daily Show" alumni. Good talent all around.The movie is not perfect. It's front-loaded -- meaning the first half has so many laughs you can't hear all the lines for the laughter. Then it suddenly slows down in the second half. It's still interesting -- just not as funny. And when you get to the violent fighting, that dries up the laughs.Overall though, any film from the Apatow organization is going to be 6 times funnier and more inventive than the average movie comedy out there. So go have some laughs.
64 out of 89 people found the following review useful: Funnier than I imagined, 20 March 2008 Author: hnd7302 from United States
I recently went to see the sneak preview Tuesday, going in I thought it'll be so-so in the humor department. This isn't a smart make you think comedy, but it had heart in the right places and it was very funny none the less. It has a few plot holes, but nothing too obvious to the viewer. I really enjoyed watching the characters, Owen Wilson is really great at these types of comedies. In the end though I've got to say that the kids they casted really stole the show. They fit their roles perfectly.In the end all I can say is that this movie is redemption for geeky fresh meat everywhere.
42 out of 59 people found the following review useful: Owen Wilson: Army of One, 22 March 2008 Author: Robert_Scott from United States
It's been a while since I wrote one of these but thanks mainly to Owen Wilson for another hilarious (yes and interchangeable) role, this movie was funny enough to get motivated once again.The premise is obviously pretty simple and has been done before in both bodyguard and teen movies (Superbad and My Bodyguard come to mind...duh). The beauty of this movie it combines the two genres with Owen Wilson's natural comedic talent and three capable younger actors resulting in a mostly funny comedy that is unique from the rest.There was an interesting metaphor contained in one of the trailers showing Drillbit telling the kids he's taking them under his wing. The reason I say this is interesting is because this is how it mostly worked for the movie's humor. It took almost 15 minutes for it to really get started. Don't get me wrong, there were some funny parts that didn't involve him like the bodyguard interviews (gotta love Frank Whaley's cameo), Ryan's rap off with the bully and the two hitting each other but the biggest laughs for me were from Owen Wilson. To be fair though, Owen was at his best when the kids were involved. I loved the way he approached this "job" with one part seriousness, one part B.S. and two parts hilarious. I was dying when he was holding up that kid's burning popsicle stick project up to the sprinklers and just the general training conversations just to illustrate that recipe.Overall, this storyline was nothing brilliant but as in You Me and Dupree, Owen Wilson manages to take something that could be rather mediocre turning it into an enjoyable and endearing comedy. True, he really didn't do it by himself as I'd try to make you believe. I mean the way the bullies were portrayed was a very convincing and effective factor that helped sell this one as well and who could forget the lovely Leslie Mann in an interesting and sometimes funny romantic subplot. To sum it all up, if you liked the trailers you're going to like this movie. And a shout to all the people who replied in my thread that convinced me to go myself. You were right.
61 out of 98 people found the following review useful: I actually liked it, 9 March 2008 Author: krabbypatty101 from Seattle, WA
I'm one of those "indie-films-or-bust" type of people (with my favorite movies ranging from Amelie to the Darjeeling Limited), so when I saw the preview for Drillbit Taylor, it was an immediate turn-off for me. I saw it as boob, nuts, and ass jokes (aka crude teenage humor) and I was not excited to see it. However, an opportunity arose to see the movie well before it came out and I took the chance to see it.To my great surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie to its fullest. Sure Owen Wilson is funny, but the kids stole the show. The crude humor was left to a minimum and the funniest lines were the really subtle ones that almost everyone missed. This movie had heart and a good message (which you don't normally see in mainstream teenage movies *excluding Juno*). Although I know it's probably not gonna make huge headlines, I feel like this movie needs more recognition than it's gonna get. I want to see this movie go big, and I'm excited to see what people say about it. So take it from me, it's funny and it's not disappointing.
51 out of 84 people found the following review useful: Just Saw a Sneak Preview - VERY FUNNY!!, 26 February 2008 Author: judemariettaga from United States
I fully intended to not like this movie. I received free tickets from work and took my two boys because I thought they would like it. Owen Wilson was funny and sweet (and looks pretty good naked!) I didn't recognize the three young boys but they were great in their roles. Owen Wilson and Josh Peck were the only two actors I recognized. But I can see the other three boys being cast in other movies like this. They were believable in their roles (as much as the idea of kid's hiring bodyguards could be, on par with missing the plane and staying HOME ALONE. I was pleasantly surprised. All of the actors were great and I was surprised at how the time flew. The ending surprised me it wasn't what I expected at all! I would definitely recommend this movie. Enjoy!
14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Wilson's charm keeps "Drillbit" afloat, 5 April 2008 Author: farmer-josh21 from United States
Drillbit Taylor is the latest Apatow/Frat Pack movie. It isn't great and it isn't awful. Rogen's screenplay disappointed me, he did such a good job on Superbad. This movie will be compared to Superbad and rightfully so. It basically serves as a prelude to Superbad. Owen Wilson does his usual. Wilson's charm and improv skills keep this movie afloat. I think that if this movie was rated R it would have fared better with reviews and box office performance. Overall though its a must see for Frat Pack fans and Wilson fans. I also wish Owen well in his upcoming projects and i hope he is well on the road to recovery.6/10
16 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Fairly average but still enjoyable, 29 March 2008 Author: Superbeasto from United Kingdom
There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the notion of Owen Wilson playing a jakey posing as a bodyguard promises a few laughs and a half.It's a decent enough family comedy, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but they're spread too thin to make this a classic jape. The 3 bullied teens are hugely likable though, and Wilson has such an easygoing charm that it's difficult not to enjoy it, even if he does work better when he's got a proper sparring partner to riff off.The end result is likable without being lovable, funny without being hilarious and enjoyable without being particularly memorable.
18 out of 26 people found the following review useful: Funny but with a nice little touch of heart, 29 March 2008 Author: KathyRI from Providence, RI
If you like Owen Wilson, Seth Rogen, "Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and other movies directed by Judd Apatow, then you'll probably like "Drillbit Taylor." It's quite funny and it even has a little bit of heart. The young actors who play the 3 freshman high-school boys are absolutely perfect in their parts. The curly-haired husky-build young boy is like a miniature Seth Rogen. He must have written that part with himself in mind. The entire cast is excellent. My friend and I were both quite pleasantly surprised, as some of the reviews haven't been the greatest, but if you enjoy watching Owen Wilson, give this one a try.
29 out of 50 people found the following review useful: One of the feel good teen comedy movies of 2008, 9 April 2008 Author: robertallenandersonjr from United States
Drillbit Taylor was such an awesome movie. It was extremely funny. I pretty much laughed throughout the whole movie. The three kids in this movie made everyone laugh in the theatre. Then having Owen Wilson team up with the kids that just makes the movie all the better. The acting in this was pretty good especially out of the kids. At first going to see this I thought the acting would be just okay. Instead it was really good though. The messages in this were pretty good. The movie was trying to state a point to you that if you tell the truth no matter what it is, you will get farther in life. Owen Wilson in this movie just kept lying to everyone especially the kids. At first you dislike Owen Wilsons character. Then he gets to know the kids and they teach him a lot about life. This was a great teen comedy movie in my opinion. I liked the idea of having Owen Wilson play a homeless man at first trying to make money. The thing that was bad about him though is that he did mean things for the money. This was also a pretty cute movie. The reason it was a little cute was because one of the kids liked a girl in his high school. Most of the time that always helps in a movie. I thought that this movie was well worth your money to see it. Another good thing about this movie was the idea of having such a mean bully picking on the kids. I thought Owen Wilsons character made a great bodyguard for this movie. Overall Drillbit Taylor was very funny and a great movie to see for teenagers especially.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Presenting the life of the new and awkward, 7 April 2008 Author: absforachilles from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Take one part Owen Wilson and three parts high school freshman and you have a clever comedy. The story tells of three high school freshman just starting their first day, hoping that they could generate a fresh start. However, all turns sour when one boy stands up for each other and all three become the ridicule of the school and targets for two very rough school bullies. To avoid further ridicule, the boys hope to hire a body guard to protect them from their bullies. Barely living by day, Owen Wilson comes into the picture and uses his wits to charm the boys for the job. Though at first his intentions are for his own benefit, he later grows a heartfelt concern for the boys. Throguhout the movie we see a gentle chemistry with Owen and the boys. I actually enjoyed the movie, because it had nice humor and strangely some sort of plot that did not make you feel the movie was dragging. Owen Wilson adds his own flavor to the film by being both a new high school vigilante and a charming gentleman for a fellow teacher. This movie combined subtle comedy, romance and friendship that sends a positive message surpassing the social people in high school. I would say this is well worth the watch, and if your an Owen Wilson fan, be prepared for a smooth ride.
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