UN-BRILLIANT

Bobcat Goldthwait’s dark comedy, WORLD’S GREATEST DAD (2009) stars Robin Williams as a high school English teacher who should be sacked.

DAD is the anti-DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989). It is as cynical a film as POETS is life-affirming.

Goldthwait, a stand-up comedian known for his grating high-pitched voice, has become something of a Sundance darling in recent years. He wrote and directed SLEEPING DOGS LIE (2006) and DAD. Both were screened and acclaimed at the Park City festival.

Two thoughts on why DAD is bad:

- Goldthwait doesn’t trust actors. When there is heavy emotional lifting to be done, he opts for slo-mo montage set to a pop song. Always. There are at least five of these in DAD.

- Goldthwait hates his characters. They are merely props in this film...used and abused for laughs.

A hopeful note: DAD cost $10,000,000 to make. It grossed $200,000.