slickstu

Set upon by a pair of bullies on their first day at high school, Wade (Nate Hartley), Ryan (Troy Gentile) and Emmit (David Dorfman) hold auditions of (alleged) security personnel for the position of a stand-over man to duly beat their tormentors to a fine pulp. They settle on self-proclaimed military badass, Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), not realising that he is, in fact, an opportunistic homeless shyster.

One has to wonder at what point Owen Wilson became attached to this project and whether his titular character was the original focus of the story, for while Wilson provides the star power here, his character is the least interesting aspect of the film and the movie takes a distinct dive whenever he is on screen. The charm of the picture, however, is in the three kids, particularly Nate Hartley whose geek-with-a-subtle-defiant-streak grounds the trio in a reality which completely evades Wilson's character. If Wilson's role were reduced to a perfunctory part (and the title changed) then this would be quite a charming little comedy.

Co-written by Seth Rogen, the similarities to his previous Superbad are obvious (a little too much so, in fact), especially in the three juvenile leads who bear strong physical resemblances and personality traits to their counterparts in that film. The similarities are so prevalent, in fact, that Drillbit Taylor could almost be seen as a prequel to Superbad. The film combines elements from the classics, namely Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Risky Business, Revenge Of The Nerds and, most notably, My Bodyguard. In a clear nod to the latter film, Adam Baldwin riffs on his debut feature film role delivering a chuckle-worthy cameo as one of the prospective bodyguard applicants.

Drillbit Taylor is a small, promising comic charmer unfortunately steamrolled by gratuitous star power.

6.5 out of 10.