The Films of Bobcat Goldthwait
Shakes the Clown
Windy City Heat
Sleeping Dogs Lie (July 16/07)
It's awfully difficult not to be impressed by how compelling and flat-out touching Sleeping Dogs Lie eventually becomes, as the film features a premise that certainly feels as though it'd be more at home in a disposable gross-out comedy. Melinda Page Hamilton stars as Amy, a sweet and kind-hearted woman whose decision to reveal a long-buried secret (one involving her dog) causes some serious tension with both her boyfriend and her various family members. Filmmaker Bob Goldthwait uses the admittedly risque subject matter as a jumping off point for a story with universal appeal; rather than dwell on Amy's past indiscretion, Goldthwait instead focuses on her efforts to deal with the expectedly horrified reactions of those around her. Anchored by Hamilton's star-making performance, the movie essentially transforms into a engrossing, low-key character study that manages to avoid many of the trappings and cliches of the genre (that things don't quite end up the way one might've predicted is certainly a testament to Goldthwait's surprisingly original screenplay). The inclusion of a few lamentably quirky elements aside, Sleeping Dogs Lie is ultimately an emotionally affecting and thoroughly accomplished piece of work that surely bodes well for Goldthwait's next effort.
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World's Greatest Dad (December 10/09)
Bobcat Goldthwait's follow-up to 2006's Sleeping Dogs Lie, World's Greatest Dad casts Robin Williams as Lance Clayton - a teacher/struggling writer whose relationship with his obnoxious son (Daryl Sabara's Kyle) takes an unusual turn after the teen accidentally kills himself while masturbating. Lance quickly decides to cover up the true nature of Kyle's death by staging a suicide, with the faux suicide note eventually becoming a sensation among Lance and Kyle's peers at school. It's an intriguing set-up that's generally employed to compelling effect by Goldthwait, with the palpable chemistry between the two central characters certainly going a long way towards initially cementing the movie's success. Sabara and Williams' thoroughly impressive work is heightened by Goldthwait's expectedly subversive screenplay, yet there lamentably reaches a point at which the filmmaker takes the premise to almost unreasonable lengths of absurdity - as Lance inevitably crosses the line from protecting Kyle's privacy to exploiting his death in a manner that becomes increasingly difficult to swallow. Goldthwait's ongoing difficulties in effectively getting inside Lance's head (ie what's driving the character to do all this?) exacerbates World's Greatest Dad's progressively less-than-enthralling sensibilities, which - despite the inclusion of an odd yet affecting finale - cements the movie's place as a slightly underwhelming endeavor that's nevertheless worth a look for fans of the director.
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