Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Paramount Home Entertainment – 109 minutes – 2008 – Unrated – 1080p -Widescreen 2.35:1 – Dolby TruHD 5.1 audio mix

Way back in 1980 there was a film called My Bodyguard that featured a young Matt Dillon, about a teenager in high school who is being bullied and hires another classmate to be his bodyguard. It’s very obvious that Drillbit Taylor is paying homage to that film, because they even throw in a cameo by the actor who played the bodyguard in that movie. Produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen, the guys that brought you last year’s hit Superbad, Drillbit Taylor wasn’t well received at the box office, most likely because of star Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt, but it’s now available on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment. For those of you who missed it in theaters, Drillbit Taylor is actually better than you may think.

THE MOVIE

Drillbit Taylor centers around three nerdy high school freshmen, Ryan (Troy Gentile), Wade (Nate Hartley) and Emmit (David Dorfman), who find themselves the target of the school bully, Filkins (Alex Frost). Realizing that no one will help them, they take matters into their own hands and put an ad out for a bodyguard. With their limited budget they can only afford Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), who has the kids convinced he’s an ex-military commando, when actually he’s just a homeless squeegee guy who needs $300 bucks to go to Canada. The boys build up a friendship with Drillbit, who begins to feel bad that he’s using the boys for his own gain, and things turn for the worse when his secret is exposed. The boys must face the bully alone, but learn that Drillbit has actually taught them some useful techniques, and end up winning their dignity.

What you’ll immediately notice while watching the film is that the three leads look like younger versions of the characters from Superbad. It’s as Drillbit is a prequel to that movie. Seth Rogen is laughing in a bed of cash now, but he must have gotten his ass kicked every day in school as a kid. Drillbit Taylor is in no way as raunchy as Superbad, sticking with a more family friendly feel. In my opinion, Drillbit Taylor is a better film, because whereas Superbad felt like a bunch of funny skits edited together, Drillbit has a solid story where you see changes in the characters by the end, and you want them to win because they are the underdogs.

Director Steven Brill allows the kids to do their thing, which is why it all works, because both Gentile and Hartley are excellent in their roles. And Owen Wilson, though basically playing the same type of character he does in most of his films, is actually very likeable here. He was also smart enough to play himself down to allow the younger cast to get more of the spotlight. There are also a lot of fun cameos and the supporting casts fits perfectly into that Judd Apatow style of comedy.

While Drillbit Taylor will never fall into the category of classic youth films like The Karate Kid, it is very enjoyable and funny. The story of the underdog from Rocky to Wile E. Coyote will always work, because everyone knows how it feels to be the last guy sitting on the bench. This Extended Survivors Edition includes some additional scenes, but again even unrated its still kid-friendly. If you’re an Owen Wilson or Seth Rogen fan, and you didn’t see this when it was released, do yourself a favor and give Drillbit Taylor a try. Yes, it’s corny in places, but you will be rooting for the kids by the end.

VIDEO

With a 1080p image an a 2.35:1 aspect ratio Drillbit Taylor offers a great image with a lot of colors that stand out vibrantly. There are many daylight scenes, which this Blu-ray benefits from, displaying some of the best skin tones in a recent release. You can literally see every odd feature on Owen Wilson’s crooked nose, and you’ve got to admire the guy for never having it fixed. Blacks stand strong with hints of grain, but overall you will not be disappointed.

AUDIO

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix for Drillbit Taylor is acceptable, but it’s nothing more than you’d expect for a film that has no gunfights, explosions, or car chases. The dialogue is mixed well, allowing every line of dialogue to sound clear, even when multiple characters are screaming over each other. The best use of the sound comes from the big fight scene at the end where all the kids are cheering and things are breaking within the chaos. It’s not surround sound show off material, but it works for what it is.

EXTRAS

Like last year’s Superbad Blu-ray, Drillbit Taylor is packed with bonus features; some are good, some are eh, but there’s plenty to choose from and they’re all in glorious hi-definition.

There are two sets of audio commentaries. The first track features director Steven Brill, co-producer/co-writer Kristofor Brown and actors Nate Hartley, David Dorfman, and Troy Gentile. For some reason this commentary should have been outrageous, but with the exception of a few giggles it’s mainly a lot of in-jokes that anyone who didn’t work on the film won’t get.

The second audio commentary is actually a visual one titled ‘The Writer’s Talk’ featuring Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown, who phone this one in, literally. As stills from the movie plays, the guys talk about what they dreamt up and how it matches the final product. It’s not feature length, running only 15 minutes, but it’s funny and offers a lot of nice tidbits.

There are over 20 minutes of deleted scenes, 19 in all, basically extensions from scenes already in the film, and nothing that will make you go beyond a giggle.

There are 15 minutes of mini-featurettes that are pretty self-explanatory as their titles suggest. ‘Directing Kids,’ ‘Super Billy,’ ‘Bully,’ ‘Bodyguard,’ ‘Trading Punches,’ ‘Rap Off,’ ‘Sprinkler Day,’ ‘The Real Don: Danny McBride,’ and ‘Filkins Fight.’ Actually these segmments are the best features on the disc, going into a lot of the behind the scenes events, such as a black rapper being hired to teach actor Troy Gentile how to freestyle rap.

‘Line-O-Rama’ is 4 minutes showcasing the funniest lines from the film edited together. Are the filmmakers trying to tell us that there are on four funny moments in this 109 minute movie?

‘Gag Reel’ also runs four minutes and has a few good laughs in it.

‘Panhandle’ is 3 minutes of Owen Wilson doing various panhandling lines.

‘Kids on the Loose’ also three minutes shows the young cast on the set.

Rounding it all out are the domestic and international trailers for Drillbit Taylor.

BOTTOM LINE

Drillbit Taylor is a pleasant surprise, while sometimes too similar to Superbad, also manages to stand on its own with its heart in the right place. The Blu-ray has good picture and sound and a big bag of bonus features that will keep you going, and if you liked this film it is worth the purchase.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 3.5

Bottom Line: 3.5