Ok, Judd
Apatow is greatness. This we know. I can’t phrase that any more interestingly
or creatively than Dev or Beaks. And thanks to a MySpace-run screening that was
chaos incarnate, I didn’t even get to see Superbad yet, so I can’t rhapsodize
about that either, though the glee from those who have seen it gives me no
worries. Of the Judd Apatow-related projects coming down the pike, however, the
one I’ve been most suspect of is the Apatow-produced Drillbit Taylor. I’ve
been suffering from Owen Wilson Fatigue Syndrome for some time (though the
Valtrex may be helping. Wait a minute…I mean…). The storyline about young nerds hiring
a bodyguard for bully protection didn’t help much. Worse yet, the film’s
directed by Steven Brill (Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds). About the
only asset I could see was the Seth Rogen-co-penned script, and that’s just
enough for a measure of hope, not anticipation.
Now that
the trailer’s here…I pretty much feel the same way. Maybe worse than that. The
first part covering the bodyguard auditions is actually kind of funny, and the
appearance of Frank Whaley (who’s aged into an increasingly creepy-looking
character actor) accounts for a good bit of that. After that, it looks pretty
much like silly comedy boilerplate that reflects the Sandler sensibilities much
more so than Apatow’s. I guess I should merely be thankful that there was no
footage of the astoundingly unfunny Lisa Lampanelli, who appears in the film as
the mom of one of the kids. The trailer seems to lean on Apatow’s resume (but
not his name) pretty heavily, but the tone seems off.
Take a
gander for yourself (and in large QuickTime, no less!) by clicking here. Drillbit Taylor hits theaters March
2008.