Drillbit Taylor (2008)

Director:

Steven Brill

Writers:

Kristofor Brown (screenplay) &
Seth Rogen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

You get what you pay for.

Plot:

Three kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully. |

Plot Keywords:

Bodyguard | Bully | Stealing | Homeless | Pawnshop

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Nate Hartley	...	Wade
Troy Gentile	...	Ryan
Ian Roberts	...	Jim
Owen Wilson	...	Drillbit Taylor
Casey Boersma	...	Chuck
Dylan Boersma	...	Nick
Lisa Ann Walter	...	Dolores
Beth Littleford	...	Barbara
David Koechner	...	Frightened Dad
Matt Walsh	...	Not for Pot Driver
Janet Varney	...	Attractive Woman Driver
Lisa Lampanelli	...	Ronnie's Mom
Billy O'Neill	...	Dean (as Bill O'Neill)
Shaun Weiss	...	Bus Driver
Jordan Valacich	...	Cute Girl on Stairs (as Jordan Valley)

Also Known As:

Drillbit Taylor, garde du corps (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Drillbit Taylor (Canada: French title) (DVD title) [fr]
Drillbit Taylor - Ein Mann für alle Unfälle (Germany) [de]
Drillbit Taylor - Guardaespaldas escolar (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]
Komandör Taylor (Estonia) [et]
Meu Nome é Taylor, Drillbit Taylor (Brazil) [pt]
No tan duro de pelar (Spain) [es]
Spasiklo-fylakas (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Un guardaespaldas escolar (Mexico) [es]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity.

Runtime:

110 min | 102 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | UK:12A | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43502) | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-13 | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:PG | Iceland:10 | Iceland:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddel makes a cameo as a potential bodyguard.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wade approaches Brooke during lunch there is a girl in a pink top sitting next to Brooke. In the next cut the girl in pink is no longer sitting there. There are two other girls sitting on the opposite side of the table as Brooke so that Wade can sit down.

Quotes:

Guy buying stolen stuff: I tell you what, I'll give you 1,500 for everything.
Don: 1,500? Come on, man. This stuff holds a lot of sentimental value.
Guy buying stolen stuff: To who?
Don: To the poeple I stole it from.
Guy buying stolen stuff: I don't care about them. 1,500.

Movie Connections:

References American Gangster (2007)

Fairly average but still enjoyable

There's not much new you can really do with a high school comedy, but at least the notion of Owen Wilson playing a jakey posing as a bodyguard promises a few laughs and a half.

It's a decent enough family comedy, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but they're spread too thin to make this a classic jape. The 3 bullied teens are hugely likable though, and Wilson has such an easygoing charm that it's difficult not to enjoy it, even if he does work better when he's got a proper sparring partner to riff off.

The end result is likable without being lovable, funny without being hilarious and enjoyable without being particularly memorable.