Ryan (Troy Gentiel), Wade (Nate Hartley) and Emmit attend their first day at high school and they're pumped... until they meet up with Filkins, a school bully who comes off like a little Hannibal Lecter. Before they become completely engulfed in Filkins' reign of terror, they seek out some protection by placing an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine. Their best response-and cheapest-comes from Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), a down-on-his luck soldier of fortune who lives a homeless-he likes to say "home free"-existence on the beach. He enrolls them in some physical and mental training.


If I didn’t know better I’d think this, not Superbad, was the movie Seth Rogen wrote with his best friend in Junior High School. The premise just sounds like the sort of thing two awkward and abused kids might come up with while hanging around after class recovering from wedgies. Rogen did have a hand in writing Drillbit Taylor, but as an adult, and as a follow up to his success in scripting Superbad, which he co-wrote as a kid.

The cast is promising, Rogen’s a genius, it’s produced by Judd Apatow (king of the geniuses), and whatever personal problems he may be having, watching Owen Wilson is still usually good. It’s only the premise that seems a little shoddy. Maybe they should have had the kids hire a Ninja instead of a blonde, suicidal Hollywood actor. Now that sounds funny. Actually when I say it that way, hiring a blonde, suicidal actor as a bully bodyguard sounds pretty funny too.

Share |