Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon. Comedy. Written by Michael Carnes, Josh Gilbert. Directed by Craig Gillespie.

FILM SYNOPSIS: John Farley is a self-help author who returns to his hometown only to discover that his mother has fallen in love with his old high school nemesis, Mr. Woodcock – the gruff, no-nonsense gym teacher who had put him through years of mental and physical humiliation. Determined to prevent history from repeating itself, the frustrated author sets out to stop his mother from marrying the man who had made life miserable for him and his classmates.

PREVIEW REVIEW: Nobody plays barbaric bullies better than Billy Bob and he manages to hold our attention throughout this lame comedy with that same satanic gusto. But his character is not amusing fodder for humor as there are such people who dominate and make the lives of others miserable. I can understand why the Seann William Scott character would not want this man to marry his beloved mother. These types can become violent and usually are – both in demeanor and physicality toward the women they marry. Of course, Mr. Scott’s John Farley isn’t much more likeable. He’s written a self-help book, which he ignores, and manages to make every dumb move possible when attempting to expose Woodcock for the monster he is.

The humor has about the same consistency as most of the comic efforts from this past summer, the writer’s quiver being equipped mainly with arrows of vulgarity or crudity or obscenity. To be fair, these are talented people and the script does contain some chuckles, even a guffaw or two, but overall, I found it mean-spirited and tedious.

Distributor:
New Line Cinema

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