Wilson Review

R:  Language Throughout and Some Sexuality

Fox Searchlight Pictures

1 Hr and 41 Minutes

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Isabella Amara, Judy Greer, Cheryl Hines, Margo Martingdale

REVIEW: In the world of Hollywood today, we get an overabundance of comic book superhero movies. We just had Logan and we’re all waiting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Wonder Woman, Justice League, and many more. Overall we have six comic book movies slated for release this year. But everyone forgot Wilson. There are so many superhero comic book film adaptations that we forget about the comic strip film adaptations. The last comic strip film adaptation was The Peanuts Movie which hit home for everyone especially me. Now we have Wilson based on the strips of Daniel Clowes which was rather inspired by Charles Schultz’s Peanuts but for an adult audience. Such a shame that a comic strip aimed at kids is more mature than an comic strip aimed at adults.

Wilson (Woody Harrelson), a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) and gets a shot at happiness when he learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amara) he has never met. In his uniquely outrageous and slightly twisted way, he sets out to connect with her.

THE BAD: The film is a comedy that constantly forgets to add the comedy and that's all due to the editing. There are constant joke setups but the film jump cuts to the next scene. Right when a situation escalates to something that leads to something remotely funny, [BOOM] a jump cut ruins everything! It's like watching a movie in the form of a comic strip where each vignette is a setup for a joke that always skips the last panel when you know the last panel is where the punchline takes place at.

The worst thing about Wilson is Wilson himself. You want to like him as a character, but everything he says and does is either rude, crude, and offensive. Wilson is one of those guys you just want to constantly beat the shit out of. He has smart philosophies about socializing and how we’re all disconnected nowadays because of technology but the way he goes about trying to interact with people is both annoying and aggravating. When I’m on a bus trying to get to one destination, I don’t want to be wakened by an unsociable asshole who wants to start a conversation. What makes him worse is that if you do engage with him, he will automatically have you out and talk about himself.

You can’t tell if the dude has mental issues or not, but the film plays him as just a regular average guy. The only time true entertainment happens is when someone is kicking Wilson’s ass because of his big mouth. There is never a time you’re rooting for Wilson. This guy is just two steps away from being Tom Green in Freddy Got Fingered where everything he thinks he says and does is funny, but comes out being obnoxiously obnoxious instead. 

Not only is Wilson an unlikable character but he’s barely an interesting one as well. He begins every sentence with a speech to make him sound wise and smart when you know he’s full of shit. He’s like Commander McBragg from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show but without the humor nor the charm. If you were related to him, you just want to tell him, “Dude nobody gives a shit. Nobody likes you. Nobody gives a fuck about you. THAT’S WHY WE DON’T INVITE YOU TO OUR THANKSGIVING DINNERS DUDE!” One of the best moments of the film is when someone screams at him to fuck off because you want to tell him the same thing yourself.

THE GOOD: As much as I despise this character, Woody Harrelson gives a great performance. Every second he’s on frame, I never saw Woody Harrelson. I don’t know if it was the makeup or the glasses that made his eyes look bigger, but I constantly forgot this was Woody Harrelson. It's a great casting choice because he looks the character that he’s based on. The time Wilson does mature to be a resonant and rather funnier character is when he goes to prison but by that point its too little too late.

As great Harrelson is, the true performance that steals the show is Laura Dern as Wilson’s ex Pippi who Wilson once had an intimate past with. She’s one of those characters that people say how crazy and you believe it. She has a good heart, but when she’s pushed to the last nerve she becomes crazy. She’s truthfully bipolar but she’s a much more interesting character than Wilson. She has a great fight sequence with Cheryl Hines who plays her sister and Dern unleashes a beast more terrifying than Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast. It's a hilarious sequence that isn’t interrupted by unnecessary jump cuts. It does cut to a peaceful moment between Wilson and his daughter Claire at the same time, but that actually adds to the comedy that diminishes it. 

LAST STATEMENT: With an annoyingly unlikable central character and middle of the road humor throughout, Wilson is an irritating comedy that is nowhere near as funny as the strip it was based on.

Rating: 2/5 | 41%

Super Scene: Wilson intervenes on some bullies

Pros	Cons
Laura Dern's Pippi	Wilson Himself
Woody Harrelson	Incohesive Narrative
	Failed Attempts at Humor
	Incompetent Editing