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-"