- Studio: New Line Cinema
- Release Date: Sep 14, 2007
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75To laugh at parts of this film would indicate one has a streak of Woodcockism in oneself. But to gaze in stupefied fascination is perfectly understandable. That's what makes Thornton such a complex actor.
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63The insult comedy is sometimes brilliant.
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There aren't that many laugh-out-loud jokes in this comedy, yet Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of ass-kicking gym coach Mr. Woodcock is almost worth the price of admission.
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Uninspired, sure, but sporadically, spasmodically funny.
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As Mr. Woodcock demonstrates, a great premise can generate a lot of goodwill and almost overcome an uneven script. So too can expert performances.
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Let's say you find yourself at the multiplex, and the first 20 minutes of Mr. Woodcock happen to correspond with the 20 minutes you need to waste before your movie of choice begins. Those are the ideal 20 minutes to spend with this marginally promising--but ultimately unfunny--comedy.
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50You can guess how it all ends, but getting there is a repetitious parade of put-downs and smackdowns that suggest you can't go home again - not when your mom's sleeping with a monster from your past.
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Mr. Woodcock may be a nasty tyrant, but he also knows his domain is small. "For Christ's sake," he tells Farley at one point, "it was just a PE class, you fruitcake."
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50Certainly, it's mediocre, but no more so than half the comedies that are wildly promoted by their studios these days.
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50Borders on poppycock.
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50A movie that commits sins of excess, except regarding Thornton. There's not nearly enough of him.
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It’s “The Great Santini” remade as a sitcom.
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50Mild pleasures are available in Mr. Woodcock.
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42There are two solid sight gags and funny supporting work by Amy Poehler as a boozy publicist.
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40All Mr. Woodcock gives us is mediocre comedy at its finest.
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Unfortunately, Mr. Woodcock is funny for exactly five minutes, during which time Woodcock is shown throwing basketballs at boys’ heads and mocking them for having dead parents.
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Amy Poehler ekes out a smirk or two as a boozy broad publicist trying to keep her paycheck in check, but even the best gags feel like leftovers, again.
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40There's more genuine humor to be gleaned from saying "Woodcock" over and over again than from watching Mr. Woodcock, a wan comic effort barely elevated a few notches by Billy Bob Thornton's passive-aggressive villainy.
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38It goes without saying that the humor is vulgar and juvenile.
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38The film logs almost all of its laughs when it's at its crudest, meanest, and most unfiltered. Everything else - and that is to say most of the movie - is a big, fat, derivative waste of time.
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38Who wants to watch any film where Sarandon, the sexiest 60-year-old woman alive, is first prize in a corn-eating contest?
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33Thornton is one of America's finest actors, but after this, "Bad News Bears," and "School For Scoundrels," his run of loveably irascible authority-figure roles should probably come to a close. He's kicked around one child too many.
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25Sarandon blends into the background, having practically nothing to do except stand around and wring her hands as the two men in her life battle it out in a passive-aggressive war. It's enough to make her want to run off with Thelma.
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25This may be the most laugh-free comedy of the year.
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25This one's been sitting on shelves for two years -- never good news -- and you can almost see the dollar signs in the cast's eyes.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 10
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Mixed: 3 out of 10
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Negative: 3 out of 10
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DanK.6No classic but Mr.Woodcock provides enough decent laughs to make for a fun Friday night picture
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ValH.7