Drillbit Taylor (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
O Good
X OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / April 22, 2008

There’s a scene in “Drillbit Taylor” that makes me wince: Best friends Wade (Nate Hartley) and Ryan (Troy Gentile) show up at the bus stop for their first day of high school wearing the same shirt. Even these two semi-nerdy kids immediately realize that this is a no-no.

But for some reason, when I was in high school (10th grade), my best friend, Bill Barnes, and I purposely wore our matching Beach Boys shirts on the same day. That’s right, we wore shirts of a no-longer-popular band intentionally. We prefer not to think about that now, much less discuss it. Neither of us has any satisfactory explanation for such social suicide.

Luckily, we didn’t have the same problem that Wade and Ryan have (though we deserved it), and that problem is bullies. I must mention, at this point, that the bullying in “Drillbit Taylor” is so cruel and over the top that the lead bully should probably bypass the principal’s office and go straight to prison. Yes, the movie is rated PG-13, and yes, it’s aimed at early-teen boys, but some parents might consider having their sons avoid “Drillbit Taylor” altogether. Even the infamously unreliable MPAA noted the movie’s “strong bullying” in its rating explanation.

Enter Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson). Basically, he’s nothing more than a bum who wishes to find the cash to relocate to Canada. Coincidentally, the bullied boys place an ad for a bodyguard. Drillbit applies and lands the job. But he doesn’t really care about the kids’, initially, he just wants to use them and case their rich parents’ joints (homes).

“Drillbit Taylor” has a few laugh-out-loud parts. It also pushes its PG-13 rating to the hilt. The profanity in this movie milks every bit of its PG-13 rating. And, as my colleague and fellow critic, Luke Hickman, pointed out, the movie isn’t really about Drillbit, it’s about the kids. Owen Wilson fans will enjoy the actor’s return to that same old familiar character, but they may be disappointed by his relatively limited screen time.

Directed by Steven Brill
Owen Wilson / Troy Gentile / Nate Hartley
Comedy 102 min.
MPAA: PG-13 (for crude sexual reference throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity)

U.S. Release Date: March 21, 2008
Copyright 2008: 267