Review: "WORLD'S GREATEST DAD"

We all have dreams. We all have huge aspirations for our lives, goals that, if we put our minds to it, never seem impossible. Even into middle age, those dreams can be far from flickering out. For Lance Clayton, his lifelong dream of becoming a published author hasn't died, even though his many works have been rejected, one after another. 

Though persistent, Lance must in the meantime suffer a painfully mediocre life: a high school poetry teacher whose unpopular class is nearly empty, secret boyfriend to a much younger teacher who sees him whenever it's convenient, and a single father to a sullen, misanthropic jerk of a teenage son who regards his dad with utter disdain. It's enough to warrant a prescription for Zoloft.

But it's that relatable sense of mediocrity and a pining for lost dreams that's at the crux of this drama/VERY black comedy from director Bobcat Goldthwait, in his latest darker-than-dark cinematic offering (following "Sleeping Dogs Lie", a.k.a. the "I-Gave-A-Dog-A-Blowjob-When-I-Was-An-Experimenting-College-Girl" movie). A harrowing, somber, and outrageous look at the world of fame, celebrity, and grief, "World's Greatest Dad" is bolstered by a fabulous screenplay and great direction (both by Goldthwait), and a terrific, Oscar-worthy performance by Hollywood's favorite goofball, Robin Williams. 

After a glut of good-to-meh offerings in the last couple of years, Williams returns to form in an uncharacteristically restrained role as a man who's tried to do everything right in his life, yet its seems as though nothing good's come of it. It also doesn't help that his only son, Kyle, is an absolute ingrate. Unpopular, unlikable, disrespectful, sex-obsessed, and a total asshole, Kyle pretty much hates his father and wants nothing to do with him. It's a fabulously malicious performance by Daryl Sabara, best known as one of the titular tykes from the "Spy Kids" series, and any innocent aura he may have had in those films evaporates immediately here. 

After a bizarre and horrific tragedy hits Lance's life, things change, strangely enough, for the better. Through a series of events, Lance encounters the fame and fortune he's searched for all his life. But is it really what he needs? "World's Greatest Dad" may have the image of a comedy, but what it really is is a look at our true vulnerabilities, and the concession to living a life we vowed never to live. A fantastic tour de force by both Goldthwait and Williams, "World's Greatest Dad" is an emotionally-gripping, darkly funny, and, in the end, strangely optimistic examination on the cruel mistress we call life.

Letter Grade: "A-"

Review: "THE INFORMANT!"

In this economic climate, most people don't have a positive attitude towards banks, Wall Street, or Big Business. Believed by many to be the root cause of last year's economic collapse, the corporate world can't seem to catch any slack nowadays.

But shady, conspicuous behavior by corporate conglomerates certainly isn't anything new. But the recent undercurrent of hostility targeted towards extreme capitalism serves to help fuel director Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!", a clever, darkly funny adaptation of Kurt Eichenwald's nonfiction book of the same name.

Based on a true story in the early '90s (but with some aspects of the story and characters fictionalized, as stated by a snarky opening title card), "The Informant" revolves around Mark Whitcare (Matt Damon), Divisional President of Decautur, IL-based agri-business giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). A pudgy, seemingly clean-cut rising star in his field, Whitacre uncovers an illegal price-fixing scam perpetrated by both his superiors at ADM and their competitors in Japan.

After his wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey) threatens to inform the FBI of this scandal if he didn't, Mark eventually blows the whistle on the illicit activity to FBI agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Bob Herndon (Joel McHale). For the next two and a half years, Whitacre clandestinely tapes the illegal goings-on for the Feds, giving the authorities enough evidence to create an airtight case. But as time goes by, Whitacre turns out to be more than his image suggests, and it turns out that he's just as corrupt as the people he's helping bring down.

Soderbergh's movies have always been wildly diverse in terms of subject matter and tone, from the dark and somber ("Traffic", "Che"), goofy and lighthearted (the "Ocean's" series), and the highly experimental ("Bubble", "The Girlfriend Experience"). It's difficult to determine what category "The Informant" falls into. Despite the corporate espionage/corruption storyline that's worthy of a Crichton novel, there's an abundance of subtle, dark humor used as window dressing. From the bouncy, '50s-sitcom-style score by Marvin Hamlisch to the comically bizarre behaviors exhibited by the main character, you can't help but chuckle at how much the deceptive behavior shown here isn't too different from what you hear in the news every day (especially since this behavior really DID happen).

But Soderbergh's secret weapon for making this whole endeavor work is Matt Damon. Adding thirty pounds to his usually toned frame and donning a mustache that would make Geraldo envious, Damon makes the film his own in a fantastic and fascinating performance. His Whitacre unravels spectacularly, from a seemingly honest and hardworking family man to a conniving, bipolar, and shockingly pathological liar. Other performances are good, especially Bakula as the trusting and soft-spoken FBI agent, but in the end, this is Damon's show, through and through.

The advertisements paint "The Informant!" as a goofy, slapstick farce, but although there are laughs to be had, the film truly is a comedy with deeply serious undertones. A good way to vent for those fed up with greed-driven corporate culture, "The Informant!" is a corporate thriller of the postmodern variety, and a shining testament to the ages-old phrase, "Turnabout's fair play".

LETTER GRADE: "B+"