Wilson
Starring Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Isabella Amara, Cheryl Hines, Judy Greer
Directed by Craig Johnson
Reviewed by Michael Dalton.
[rating: 2/5]
Woody Harrelson is one of the most exciting character actors in cinema. Those eyes, and that bullseye delivery! Like a pro, he knocked the dialogue out of the park in his Oscar nominated performance in The People vs. Larry Flynt, in The Messenger he moved with purpose as Captain Tony Stone, a harbinger of terrible news, and in Rampart his David Douglas Brown was a deadly assault. It’s rare he exhibits vulnerability and when he has to in his latest film Wilson, a dull, black comedy directed by Craig Johnson who directed the involving black comedy The Skeleton Twins, he hits every note. The odds are stacked against him however with wayward direction and a messy screenplay (adapted by Daniel Clowes from his own graphic novel). Wilson, with only his fox terrier Pepper for company, is a neurotic crank who has nothing but disdain for people in general and technology. He delights in stopping strangers using various devices while he chats them up.
No actor could batter their way out of this bland tale of an irresponsible man with too much say and nothing to show for it. At least, he thinks he has nothing. Its not until after the death of his father and he reunites with his estranged wife Pippi (a surprisingly shrill performance from Laura Dern) that he discovers he has a teenage daughter. She was immediately given up for adoption and now lives in affluent circumstances so Wilson sets about becoming part of her life, dragging Pippi along for the ride. Claire (interesting work from Isabella Amara), plump and gothic, has inherited her father’s world-weary cynicism and while initially resistant to the harebrained notion, eventually relents and accompanies her parents on a road trip to visit with Pippi’s thunderingly judgemental sister Polly (Cheryl Hines). It doesn’t take long for it to backfire and it’s in these few scenes that Johnson and Clowes move into delicious territory where the upper and middle classes smash into each other. What a disappointment its over before it has a chance to start. The setup is a movie on its own.
When Harrelson is given the space, he makes us laugh. Whether he’s overreacting to Polly’s son’s promising future or admiring a man’s penis or just trying to find common ground with Claire, he’s that effortlessly funny artist that can nails scenes miraculously but Johnson and Clowes push him around too much. Such is his old-world attitude (where technology is concerned he has the right idea), you want Wilson to happen to the world but the world keeps on happening to him. In accordance with the startlingly uneven tone, he’s blown here and pushed there complete with a sentimental All In The Family finale that leaves us wondering why we paid a visit in the first place. A word to dog lovers everywhere: You’re likely to leave appalled.
