Mr. Woodcock

Though sprinkled with a few genuinely funny moments here and there, Mr. Woodcock ultimately comes off as a tedious and by-the-numbers effort that surely (and hopefully) marks Billy Bob Thornton’s final appearance as a comedically misanthropic curmudgeon (following Bad Santa, Bad News Bears, and School for Scoundrels). This story follows self-help author John Farley (Seann William Scott) as he horrifyingly discovers that his mother (Susan Sarandon) is dating the feared gym teacher (Thornton’s Mr. Woodcock) of his youth, with the bulk of the movie revolving around Farley’s efforts at breaking the pair up. Even if one were willing to overlook the seriously illogical premise at the film’s core (ie why would Farley’s mom, portrayed as sweet and kind, continue to date a man who isn’t even trying to hide the fact that he’s a jerk?), one would still have to contend with the almost uniformly hackneyed plot developments offered up by scripters Michael Carnes and Josh Gilbert. The pair spend the majority of the film’s running time proffering an exceedingly tired storyline in which Scott’s John must convince others of his castigator’s villainy, although, of course, nobody believes him until the third act. That Carnes and Gilbert eventually turn the whole thing around by forcing John to fight for his mother and Mr. Woodcock’s crumbling relationship is nothing short of absurd, and, although the performances are all fine and the movie is mercifully short, Mr. Woodcock is generally as ineffectual and instantly forgettable as most of Thornton’s comedic output as of late.

** out of ****