Apatow's 'Drillbit' gets screwy
By Bruce R. Miller, Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, June 29, 2008
While the kids warm to "Wall-E" this week, mom and dad may want to take a peek at "Persepolis," a fascinating animated film that's not designed for children.
Chronicling Marjane Satrapi's life as a young girl in Iran, the largely black-and-white Oscar nominee teaches in ways we never thought possible. Satrapi (whose graphic novel was the film's basis) shows a different side of the headlines and the people attached to them. Think: "Diary of Anne Frank," circa 1978.
Satrapi doesn't pull punches. She talks about fundamentalist leaders. She documents the Islamic Revolution. And, yet, the film isn't a documentary but the story of one girl caught in the crossfire. When she moves for safety reasons, we discover her Dickensian world. "Persepolis" has profanity and adult situations. It's not afraid to detail violence or its preamble.
Interestingly, it's a strong film that didn't need to be animated. That Satrapi and co-director Vincent Paronnaud bring us into a Gorey-like world only adds to its charm.
The directors do include a handful of color scenes. But there's thought behind them and a belief that animation can do more than sell toys.
Again, "Persepolis" isn't for children (particularly if you watch the subtitled version) but it is something teens and adults can study. It provides clues about so much n people, politics and possibilities.
Get the DVD and you'll want to watch in both English and French, devour all the interviews and listen to the commentaries. It's just that engrossing.
Also: 'Drillbit'
A junior Jonah Hill and a mini-Michael Cera try to get through the first days of high school. But those ever-present bullies (who seem to torment whenever authorities aren't around) make life miserable. The solution? A bodyguard who can protect them seven hours a day.
Enter: "Drillbit Taylor."
Based on an old John Hughes (remember him?) story, the Judd Apatow production taps into universal themes but tries for a "Superbad" sensibility with its casting. Because it's eager to nail that PG-13 audience, the film doesn't quite build to anything substantial.
Instead, it screws around more than it hammers home a point.
Owen Wilson stars as Drillbit, an Army deserter who gets by begging near freeways. He showers on the beach and lives in a wooded area near Los Angeles. His goal? Who knows? But he does answer the call when the teens go looking for protection. Insisting he guarded three vice presidents and Sylvester Stallone, he seems prime to fend off the fists of fury. Nate Hartley (the tall, scrawny kid) and Tony Gentile (the stocky rapper) fall for his pitch, hire him, then discover he's not really watching out for them, he's teaching them.
Directed by Steven Brill, the film seems like a throwback to the early '80s (which could explain the Hughes connection), particularly since many of the bully problems seem minor compared to real things going on in schools today. The kids ignore contemporary means of communication (they embrace walkie-talkies) and don't even try to plead their case to authorities.
Drillbit, meanwhile, has immediate access to the school, lands a job as a substitute (without credentials) and woos a teacher (Leslie Mann) without anyone questioning his motives.
A few smiles slip in here and there but, for the most part, this is a dull comedy n one that could have benefited from a little more profanity. The boys' parents are unmemorable (although Hartley has a fun blended situation) and a third partner in crime looks like he wandered off from the musical theater department.
Wilson, perhaps, is the biggest disappointment of all. Going through the motions of previous films, he doesn't make Drillbit (or Dr. Illbit, as he calls himself) an original, worthy of adulation. He's like a slacker with occasional lapses of energy.
Because Apatow is largely responsible for a sea change in teen comedies (he could become the John Hughes of the new millennium), it's unfortunate he takes a step back to cash in on this one.
"Drillbit Taylor" isn't a worthy successor to "The Breakfast Club" or "16 Candles" or "Ferris Bueller." It's a universal story told in a much-too familiar way. When Adam Baldwin shows up in a cameo, it's abundantly clear: This ain't "My Bodyguard." Even time can't dim the memory of a film done well.
Chronicling Marjane Satrapi's life as a young girl in Iran, the largely black-and-white Oscar nominee teaches in ways we never thought possible. Satrapi (whose graphic novel was the film's basis) shows a different side of the headlines and the people attached to them. Think: "Diary of Anne Frank," circa 1978.
Satrapi doesn't pull punches. She talks about fundamentalist leaders. She documents the Islamic Revolution. And, yet, the film isn't a documentary but the story of one girl caught in the crossfire. When she moves for safety reasons, we discover her Dickensian world. "Persepolis" has profanity and adult situations. It's not afraid to detail violence or its preamble.
Interestingly, it's a strong film that didn't need to be animated. That Satrapi and co-director Vincent Paronnaud bring us into a Gorey-like world only adds to its charm.
The directors do include a handful of color scenes. But there's thought behind them and a belief that animation can do more than sell toys.
Again, "Persepolis" isn't for children (particularly if you watch the subtitled version) but it is something teens and adults can study. It provides clues about so much n people, politics and possibilities.
Get the DVD and you'll want to watch in both English and French, devour all the interviews and listen to the commentaries. It's just that engrossing.
Also: 'Drillbit'
A junior Jonah Hill and a mini-Michael Cera try to get through the first days of high school. But those ever-present bullies (who seem to torment whenever authorities aren't around) make life miserable. The solution? A bodyguard who can protect them seven hours a day.
Enter: "Drillbit Taylor."
Based on an old John Hughes (remember him?) story, the Judd Apatow production taps into universal themes but tries for a "Superbad" sensibility with its casting. Because it's eager to nail that PG-13 audience, the film doesn't quite build to anything substantial.
Instead, it screws around more than it hammers home a point.
Owen Wilson stars as Drillbit, an Army deserter who gets by begging near freeways. He showers on the beach and lives in a wooded area near Los Angeles. His goal? Who knows? But he does answer the call when the teens go looking for protection. Insisting he guarded three vice presidents and Sylvester Stallone, he seems prime to fend off the fists of fury. Nate Hartley (the tall, scrawny kid) and Tony Gentile (the stocky rapper) fall for his pitch, hire him, then discover he's not really watching out for them, he's teaching them.
Directed by Steven Brill, the film seems like a throwback to the early '80s (which could explain the Hughes connection), particularly since many of the bully problems seem minor compared to real things going on in schools today. The kids ignore contemporary means of communication (they embrace walkie-talkies) and don't even try to plead their case to authorities.
Drillbit, meanwhile, has immediate access to the school, lands a job as a substitute (without credentials) and woos a teacher (Leslie Mann) without anyone questioning his motives.
A few smiles slip in here and there but, for the most part, this is a dull comedy n one that could have benefited from a little more profanity. The boys' parents are unmemorable (although Hartley has a fun blended situation) and a third partner in crime looks like he wandered off from the musical theater department.
Wilson, perhaps, is the biggest disappointment of all. Going through the motions of previous films, he doesn't make Drillbit (or Dr. Illbit, as he calls himself) an original, worthy of adulation. He's like a slacker with occasional lapses of energy.
Because Apatow is largely responsible for a sea change in teen comedies (he could become the John Hughes of the new millennium), it's unfortunate he takes a step back to cash in on this one.
"Drillbit Taylor" isn't a worthy successor to "The Breakfast Club" or "16 Candles" or "Ferris Bueller." It's a universal story told in a much-too familiar way. When Adam Baldwin shows up in a cameo, it's abundantly clear: This ain't "My Bodyguard." Even time can't dim the memory of a film done well.
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