World's Greatest Dad (2009)

I was catching up with some of Robin Williams brilliant work (standup and movies) after his tragic demise.Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, high school poetry teacher and single parent. Lance Clayton is a failed writer, having had several books rejected. His son Kyle performs poorly at school, is ill tempered and disobedient, with few friends. After his son's death caused by autoerotic asphyxiation, Lance makes the death look like suicide. When the school students interpret Kyle's fake suicide note as deeply intelligent, and become the late Kyle's new best friends, Lance exploits this by publishing Kyle's fake Journal. Finally Lance admits Kyle's true cause of death and that he wrote Kyle's Journal. The message of the film is that its better to be alone than to be with people who make you feel alone.World's Greatest Dad, is probably better titled World's Worst Dad. Neither parent or child have much empathy for each other. Both seemed to be 'losers'. The cause of Kyle's death seems implausible, given Kyle's likely novice experience. The film seems to be seeking attention through highlighting taboo subjects. The message of being alone and unliked, fails for me as the film does not offer solutions for better parenting and focuses for a time on youth suicide, which is not properly dealt with.The acting was OK, but I felt the messages in the film were off key and inappropriate. 5.5/10

Hugely underrated, dark comedy movie about a father who deals with his sons accidental death. I have seen it a couple times since it has came out and I will probably see it a couple more times before I die. Robin Williams was always a joy to see or hear in any movie and I appreciate every role he portrayed, even if it was a corny role like Cadillac Man. Lol.

This is an easy 10/10 rating in my opinion. however, the mainstream moviegoers would probably absolutely hate this movie! They'd say it's too dark and too sad, and wouldn't get why it is supposed to be funny. That's okay, just don't watch the movie!"World's Greatest Dad" is a comedy for a very specific audience, the audience for very, very dark and cynical comedy films. If you like films like "Harold and Maude" and "Super", you'll probably love this movie! I sure did!Robin Williams was a wonderful comedian and does a great job as the father of a perverted and disgusting teen, who dies of strangulation upon himself while masturbating. Williams writes a phony suicide note, which eventually becomes a success at his son's high school, and the situation becomes bigger and bigger and bigger. It could be looked at as a depressing and unsettling drama or a genius comedy, and I really see it as both. The film has a sad but funny tone throughout that makes you feel really bad, but still makes you laugh simultaneously. It is a hard feeling to explain, but just watch the movie!Overall, this is a marvelous achievement! It is powerful and hilarious. it has a deliciously dark storyline, a great Robin Williams performance, and is very well shot and written. Absolutely recommended for it's intended audience.

So, I thought this was doing to be a goofy comedy similar to American Pie stuff--nonsense in other words. Well, it had American Pie content with the masturbation. But then it got more serious, and the son killing himself accidentally while masturbating in a faux hanging style . It is funny like that show with all those crazy ways people died, but it quickly becomes serious and sad. And so the whole film you are laughing one moment and in tears the next. At first I said 7/10 movie about a fourth of the way in. But then as it went on, it had a lot of depth. Kyle was a troubled young man who was very insecure, and so tried to cope with it by insulting and acting like a douchebag. You could see he was suffering. The actor did a really good job with the character. The part where Robin Williams' character first catches him masturbating in his strange way is well played out by the actor. Kyle's expression and words are so real. He plays it so realistic to a son being found by his dad masturbating, and Robin Williams likewise. And Kyle is played well until his death. Then Kyle dies, and Robin Williams holding his body in his arms quickly turns anything funny about the scene not funny. Tears come. And it is like this the whole movie. The depth comes in how, when they read "Kyle's" "suicide note" andjournal, they all suddenly like Kyle. It's not a, "Hey, we were jerks", but they act like Kyle was their friend. It shows how shallow people can be. Robin Williams plays the grieving father part so well. And they story and characters are very intelligent, too. The Kyle character is very real. What is called a douchebag, a guy who acts as if he is some sort of cool guy and everyone else is a loser because he is some insecure. And his friend with the drunk mother who represents the son that Kyle's father wished he had. Well, laughs and tears. Great movie.