Drillbit Taylor (PG-13)
2 exclamation marks (out of four)
Homeless army vet Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson) needs cash to leave California for Canada, so he cons three geeky high-school freshmen into hiring him as their bodyguard. His plan to rip ’em off and hightail it up north changes when he takes a liking to the kids — and one of their teachers (Leslie Mann).
Big question: Can co-writer Seth Rogen and producer Judd Apatow translate the R-rated laughs of “Superbad” to a PG-13 audience?
Skip it: It’s sometimes funny, but never for two jokes in a row and never enough that the premise doesn’t feel like a “Freaks and Geeks” episode simplified for wider audiences.
Bottom line: “Drillbit” is just an excuse to let Wilson be himself, which comes with a casual surfer-boy charm but nothing more. Part of the greatness of “Superbad” was its sincere interest in the hilarious and relatable textures of teenage agony, and one of many reasons “Drillbit Taylor” lacks legitimate heart and pee-your-pants laughs is that it’s more intent on capturing safe, stereotypical movie character lives than real ones.
[ MATT PAIS, METROMIX ]– – –
MATT PAIS IS THE METROMIX MOVIES PRODUCER
THE REWIND
MATT’S PICKS FOR WHAT’S STILL PLAYING
Funny Games
4 exclamation marks (out of four)
2008’s best movie so far. See it and argue.
Paranoid Park
3 1/2 exclamation marks (out of four)
Skaters have it rough. Accidental murderers do too.
Never Back Down
3 exclamation marks (out of four)
Cliche yet entertaining. Wanna fight about it?
Married Life
3 exclamation marks (out of four)
What a rascal, that Pierce Brosnan.
Horton Hears a Who!
2 1/2 exclamation marks (out of four)
If only he heard better jokes.
– – –
QUICK PICKS
Snow Angels (R)
3 exclamation marks (out of four)
Who’s in it: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell
What it’s about: A drama that interweaves the life of a teenager, with his old baby-sitter, her estranged husband and their daughter.
Worth watching? “Revelatory as well as unsettling.”
[ RUTHE STEIN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ]Meet the Browns (PG-13)
1/2 exclamation marks (out of four)
Who’s in it: Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett
What it’s about: A single mom and her family meet the crass, fun-loving Browns.
Worth watching?Whatever progress the man was making, “Browns” is a Madea-sized big fat step backward.
[ ROGER MOORE, THE ORLANDO SENTINEL ]Shutter (PG-13)
1 1/2 exclamation marks (out of four)
Who’s in it: Joshua Jackson, Rachel Taylor
What it’s about: A newly married couple finds disturbing, ghostly images in photos they develop after a tragic accident.
Worth watching? “Not a moment of ‘Shutter’ is scary.”
[ M.P. ]
