My review of the film “Drillbit Taylor” 2009

Drillbit Taylor, catchy name indeed. I really like the idea of this movie; it has so much potential but falls kind of flat. as a modern day comedy for kids and teens.  
The story goes that three kids at school are constantly being bullied and so unbeknownst to their parents they decide to hire a bodyguard, Enter Owen Wilson as Drillbit Taylor.With a nose like Owen Wilson’s, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t been in a couple bar room brawls. Even though he’s not the meanest or biggest looking guy, you just kind of believe that he has your back, even though he plays a coward, and a compulsive liar, a con artist, and a worthless drifter.
Owen does his usual bit, offering some not so brilliant words of wisdom, and make it up as you go, style of self defense. A bunch of Tom Foolery, horsing around with the kids and stuff like that, you get the drift. All the while he’s planning to steal from their homes and pawn all the goods for a one way ticket to
Canada, but along the path he realizes he likes the kids, and he feels guilty for misleading them, but of course it’s too late, or is it?  
If you blink twice you might manage to miss a cameo of UFC legend Chuck Liddell, it’s so brief you wonder why he was even included.
The kids aren’t really funny, and that’s a major disappointment because most of the movie relies on them.
Owen is kind of like this failure you want to laugh at yet look up to in a sort of familiar way. He does that fairly well, in every film, but this one ain’t anything special.  
I believe  the movie renders its laughs from gags and physical humor rather than witty one liners or random absurdity, however there are a few situational comedic moments, such as when Drillbit has to pretend the part of a substitute teacher. This is really a great way of showcasing Owen’s talent for improv. 
This movie is kind of a toss out, and a rental at best. It’s quite mediocre and basically predictable. It’s like an episode of any show on the Disney Channel, except for the final fight near the end.  If I had to explain it t in general, I’d say its a lot like a “look whose coming to dinner”  type of  comedy, in which big things are expected from a meager individual. I’m all for this type of off the wall disaster comedy but the fact is, I’ve seen better., and I wouldn’t say this is one of the top tier.