Mr. Woodcock

John Farley (Sean William Scott)was a fat little kid whose gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton), used harsh if not brutal methods of teaching Phys. Ed.. Fast forward and Farley has written a self help book based on his experiences and heads home to stop his mother from marrying said gym teacher.

There are only a few different types of comedies – memorable, forgettable and just plain OK. Mr. Woodcock falls int the last category due mainly to the fact that it expends all of the most funny bits in the trailer. Plus, at least one gag that was set up, never got to pay off. Add to that a weak love interest for Farley and it equals your average summer comedy.

No one shines in this movie but every cast member brings something to the table. Sean William Scott proves that he can be somebody else besides Stifler. He just wants to help his mom but goes about doing it the wrong way, slowly straying from the path that he himself has preached about in his book. Thornton is almost monotone in his performance. I understand that it is most likely his character, but he is never given a moment to really let loose. Susan Sarandon's Beverly Farley is your cookie cutter mom, she just wants her men to get along and really isn't the focus here. Amy Poehler is a little out of place as Farley's agent who is even more crazy than the people she is supposed to shield Farley from. Ethan Suplee has fallen into a rut as playing the fat, stupid loser. Same as he does in My Name Is Earl and Mallrats.

In comedies that don't seem to live up to their expectations, I find myself warming to the deeper story. In Mr. Woodcock, Woodcock is being honored as the Educator of the Year, and while Farley and most of his students think he is a prick, what he did had ultimately helped almost all of his students, except maybe Needleman (Ethan Suplee). I don't have any idea why that popped into my head, but there you are.

To make a short story even shorter, Mr. Woodcock would be a safe date movie or a way to pass a lazy afternoon, but not much more than that.

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Mitch E
mitch@comicbookbin.com