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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Drillbit Taylor
Paramount Pictures


5.6

based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 19 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity

Starring Owen Wilson, Alex Frost, Casey Boersma, Dylan Boersma, Troy Gentile, and Nate Hartley

Ryan, Wade, and Emmit attend their first day at high school and they're pumped...until they meet up with Filkins, a school bully who comes off like a little Hannibal Lecter. Before they become completely engulfed in Filkins' reign of terror, they seek out some protection by placing an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine. Their best response (and the cheapest) comes from Drillbit Taylor, a down-on-his luck soldier of fortune who lives a homeless--he likes to say "home-free"--existence on the beach. He enrolls them in some physical and mental training. (Paramount Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Comedy
WRITTEN BY:	Chris Brown Seth Rogen
DIRECTED BY:	Steve Brill
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: July 1, 2008 Theatrical: March 21, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	102 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Even if this movie doesn't quite hit the highs of its predecessor, it's nice to know that there are still filmmakers ready to respect the eternal struggles of freaks and geeks.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

There are winning scenes between Wilson and the three teens as they train in various martial arts (like Mexican Judo - "as in Ju-don't know who you're messing with!") and get tips from clips of "Fight Club" and "The Untouchables."

Premiere Ryan Stewart

Presents nothing blindingly new for fans of Apatow- or Sandler-style humor and when watching it, one can hear the faint rustling of old scripts being yanked from drawers for a timely cash-in, but with his high-school memories now hopefully exhausted, maybe Rogen has a good college yarn to spin.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

This latest whiffle ball from Team Apatow is a mildly amusing comedy.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

"Superbad” got a deserved R rating for its unmitigated and gleeful raunch. Drillbit Taylor is cleaner in mouth but far uglier in spirit. Wilson and Mann do what they can to tone it up, but their scenes belong to a different film, and a fresher one.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Owen Wilson phones it in with Drillbit Taylor, a by-the-numbers teen comedy.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A disappointing hodgepodge of rehashed clichés.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson

Drillbit Taylor brings Seth Rogen's hot streak to a sudden halt.

USA Today Claudia Puig

As clunky and humorless as its title.

New York Post Kyle Smith

The last time I saw this much talent in a losing cause was Super Bowl XLII. Trying to mix farce with heart, Drillbit Taylor is instead as soulful as Kenny G and as wacky as public television.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Rare is the star vehicle that is as poorly matched to its star as Drillbit Taylor, which casts Owen Wilson as a homeless Army deserter and con man, able to fool people into believing he's both a substitute teacher and a master of hand-to-hand combat.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Wilson's funny. Mann's funny. But paired together here, nothing works.

Time Richard Schickel

Better luck next time, Owen.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A relatively lame exercise that never achieves comic traction.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A junior-league "Superbad" with an aftertaste of "The Pacifier," Drillbit Taylor is a just passable pubescent comedy with a modest laugh count by Apatow factory standards.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Wilson is as sincere as ever at being insincere, though the sweet minor notes of his trademark melancholia seem here to be in search of a more boisterous presence -- say a Vince Vaughn -- to riff with.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The "Apatow formula" is pretty simple: raunchy comedy, likeable characters, and a dash of sweetness (but nothing too sweet). Drillbit Taylor fulfills the third characteristic but falls short in the other two.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Do yourself a favor. Rent "My Bodyguard" instead.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

The film emits a subtle yet distinct John Hughes vibe.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Travis Nichols

This thing is a mess.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

If only it had some funny lines, a focused plot and an idea that stretched beyond the initial setup.

The New York Times Staff (Not credited)

So ploddingly directed (by Steven Brill) and lazily written that it adds up to little more than a diffuse collection of second-hand gags and jokes, few of them funny.

Slate Dana Stevens

Drillbit Taylor is slackly paced and rife with questionable logic.

Empire Helen O'Hara

It just scrapes two stars on the strength of Wilson’s best efforts. But for God’s sake, someone give this man a sparring partner.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The script by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen and the direction by Steven Brill have a careless, never-gave-a-damn feel that's as insulting to viewers as the film is dull.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Drillbit Taylor sounds like a rediscovered blaxploitation movie or a name near the top of the NFL draft.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Much to my dismay this is not an unauthorized sequel to Abel Ferrara's 1979 East Village art-world freakout "Driller Killer." This is instead a dispiritingly mediocre tweener comedy from some very talented people who appear to be experiencing a delayed sophomore slump.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Owen Wilson doesn't have a single good line in the dismal Drillbit Taylor. So how is it that almost everything he does is funny?

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Another dreadful, not-funny Owen Wilson movie, in which Wilson is the best thing.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A failing-grade comedy about the wishful triumph of high school dorks over high school bullies.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

There was a movie called “My Bodyguard” about the new kid in high school who hires the sullen loner to protect him from a bully. That was good. Drillbit Taylor is shit but, hey, I’m in Judd Apatow’s Hollywood.

The average user rating for this movie is 5.6 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Kevin C. gave it a1:
Stupid movie. I can't believe I wasted my time watching this. Not worthy of being mass produced for the public.

Ronaldo D. gave it a2:
The title suits the film. I felt like I was being drilled while watching it.

Jay H. gave it a5:
All too familiar plot, not very original. Funny at times but not often enough. Plenty of cliche's. The performers try, but they can't do much with stale material.

Jake H. gave it a5:
This movie was a complete disaster. It wasn't even funny, Owen Wilson wasn't the best guy for the job and the movie had no plot to it, except that you have to bully people and the children should be ashamed of themselves for hiring a full grown man to bully people.

Dude Guy gave it a9:
this movie was one that is easy to forget but it had parts that made me laugh out loud and get stared down by people next to me. Over all I've seen owen wilson in better movies but this is a new favorite. However I don't see how it got away with PG13. It had a lot of cursing and sexual content in it. I would recommend this movie to people ages 15 and over.

Kelly P gave it a5:
Drillbit Taylor is a predictable but still mildly funny movie. During the first ten minutes of the film I predicted exactly what would happen during the film: kids hire bodyguard, bodyguard protects kids(sort of), kids figure out bodyguard is a fraud, everyone is happy and makes up, the end. Owen Wilson was not very funny. The best part of the movie was the three hilarious kids. Overall, I felt like I’ve seen this movie a dozen times before. With a better script this could have been a much better movie.

Kathy S. gave it a10:
That movie is so funny...thats kids show to the people how too much children's feel before and after they first day at high school...bay the way is funny jajajaja.

Drillbit Taylor Paramount Pictures

Drillbit Taylor
Paramount Pictures