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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Willard
New Line Cinema


6.5

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

based on 22 votes
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FILM:

Black Christmas

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language

Starring Crispin Glover, David Parker, Laura Harring, R. Lee Ermey, Jackie Burroughs, Kristen Cloke, Rick Lazzarini, and Kim McKamy

Socially inept and saddled with a miserable job, Willard shares a powerful bond with the rats who dwell in his basement. When Willard's world is turned upside down by tragedy, those responsible must answer to his rapidly growing pack of ravenous, fearsome friends. (New Line Cinema)

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Glen Morgan Gilbert Ralston (1971 screenplay and book Ratman's Notebook)
DIRECTED BY:	Glen Morgan
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 7, 2003 Video: October 7, 2003 Theatrical: March 14, 2003
RUNNING TIME:	105 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Bruce Davison played the role of Willard in the 1971 horror classic

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...

100

Film Threat Kevin Carr

Willard doesn’t try to be great art (although if you really think about it, there are plenty of themes borrowed from “Hamlet,” “The Birds” and “Frankenstein” to name a few). Willard just is.

Time Joel Stein

Glover, as usual, is phenomenal.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Cooly feral in dark suit and tie, Glover’s the man in the gray flannel suit gone way, way over the edge, and it’s one of the most fully realized screen performances in ages, rats and all.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

The "Citizen Kane" of rat movies makes for a terrific overhaul in this wonderfully entertaining and, yes, touching take on that terribly confused man/child named Willard.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

In a culture clogged with appropriated effluvia and remake cop-outs, Willard is wittier and nastier than we deserve.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

This is a one-riff movie and instant cult classic.

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

It's one of many references to the movie-wise, but a resonant one, for Glover's performance turns out to be shockingly emotional, drawn as daringly close to the bone -- within this story's limited thematic range -- as Anthony Perkins' work in Hitchcock's seminal film.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It only takes rat trainers and CGI artists to create swarms of vermin, but it takes a twisted kind of genius to treat them as equals.

Chicago Tribune Kevin M. Williams

This faithful resurrection of the original "Willard," a twisted gem in its own right, also is funny.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Wonderfully deranged.

San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel

A silly, snarling romp -- a fun (if you're in the mood for it), sometimes scary look at the life of a socially awkward man whose best friend is a white rodent he names Socrates.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Has the modesty of a savvy, smart drive-in movie with Hollywood studio polish and a movie buff's loving care.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The new version is actually better. It's still a fairly ham-handed revenge-of-the-nerd horror fable, but you don't go to a movie like Willard for subtlety. You go to be skeeved out by rats, rats, and more rats, and I'm tempted to say that Willard does a fairly rat-tastic job of it.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Want your skin to crawl? This one's for you.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Morgan never reaches the heights the film probably would have hit if had been directed by Tim Burton, whose style is frequently evoked -- especially Shirley Walker's playful score, which seems channeled directly from Burton's frequent collaborator Danny Elfman.

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Has plenty of dark horror style, but it lacks the weird charm of the 1971 original starring Bruce Davison...It's a nice homage.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

The new Willard, which has taken the original's humanity and the psychological validity, leavened with a dollop of dark humor, and replaced them with a technically impressive but essentially heartless spoof.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The pleasure comes from watching the clever rodents do their stuff. Computerized images have been kept to a minimum, and real animals provide most of the film's atmosphere.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

As filler for the long, dry winter movie season, the movie is more than passable, and its sense of humor has a wicked, unforgiving spin that is decidedly pro-rodent.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Simply twiddling with the fine-tuning on the central character is not enough to warrant remaking a film. Both Glover and Willard deserve better.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

There is real wit in Glover's performance. And wit, too, in R. Lee Ermey's performance as the boss, which draws heavily on Ermey's real-life experience as a drill sergeant.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Glover, wearing his close-cropped hair in a pompadour and striking beady-eyed, furrow-browed poses that scare the hair off a tarantula, makes it as much fun as a rat revenge movie can be.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Ray Conlogue

Perhaps too much energy was spent on being stylish rather than simply low-rent horrifying. The upshot is not very stylish and not very scary.

USA Today Mike Clark

The movie isn't without style, but the material can't remotely sustain 100 minutes.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The chills are functional at best and the attempts at pathos negligible.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

As high camp, Willard might have something going for it, but not as a horror movie.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

You're just sitting there, somewhere between mildly amused and fairly bored, watching the filmmakers squander Hollywood's most eccentric character actor and a lot of very fine specimens of the order Rodentia.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Production-designed within an inch of its life, this remake's best conceit is the casting of Crispin Glover as its socially maladroit rat fancier.

Variety Scott Foundas

Strictly for the birds.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Everything that was modest, soundly grounded and therefore horrifying about the 1971 rodentarama that starred Bruce Davison is now insistent, Grand-Guignol-intense and therefore shrug-offable when it isn't downright awful.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

The worst flaw of Willard is a clunky tone-deaf screenplay based on Gilbert Ralston's original and updated by the director. Barely a line flies by that doesn't land with a wooden thud.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 22 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sam gave it a9:
Willard isn't perfect, nor is it a classic, but it's still a great movie that has everything a horror movie needs: Scares, drama, and a a great leading actor.

Dcul gave it a3:
Perhaps I'd given in to the hype, because after renting 'Willard', I found myself wondering why I wasn't raving about it like all the critics. As far as horror movies go it's pretty mediocre, perhaps once building up a moment of slight trepidation, but the rats are barely used to any effect (I'm thinking Willard is going to go on a 'Taxi Driver' rampage, but no, we're not that lucky.) It's a ho-hum, soulless movie.

Dale E. gave it a 10:
This movie is, well, fantastic. If you want to be frightened, or see loads of people being murdered, or buckets of gore, please look elsewhere. This movie is more of a psychological drama with some dark humour sprinkled in. However, I do wish they added more story involving Willard rather than the rats, since they don't do that much anyway. I found Willard to be a fascinating character, and would have loved to see more of his interactions with other people, especially Cathryn, and maybe more on his past. Willard isn't a hero or a bad guy, he's just a lonely outcast who finds a friend in a rat, sadly the only thing that cares about him. Crispin Glover's performance is Oscar-worthy, but of course, he'll be overlooked. Sad, because his is one of the best perfomances I have seen in a while. Quiet but intense, with an almost unnerving underlying rage and sadness. Dark comedy elements occasionally pop up and amuse. However, I view this as more of a very well-made character study, not a horror movie or a black comedy. I hope someday Willard will get the attention that it truly deserves.

Matt S. gave it a 10:
A great movie. Crispin Glover's performance is terrific. He is also my favorite actor. You must see this movie, don't listen to the jerks who gave it bad reviews. They are probably just upset cause they droped their toys or something, childish little buggers, no taste at all. Can't understand art.

Billy O. gave it a 2:
Nothing happens. A mentally ill man falls in love with a rat, it gets killed, and he kills other rats. All of the rat killing was pretty sadistic and disgusting. There was really no point to this movie. Do yourself a favor, watch something else.

Angel P. gave it a 7:
Let parents beware, THIS MOVIE IS BEST NOT SHOWN TO KIDS! I think most critics, positive or not failed to realize just how truly freaky this movie is! This is true horror, the new horror. Be nice to that quiet, akward guy in your office or school from now on. We all know a Willard, and that is scary.

XISMZERO gave it a 7:
A movie who's cast makes it great but Crispin Glover makes the movie truly special. The DVD features are worth it as well. Recommended for Glover fans - others may find the movie flat.

Willard New Line Cinema

Willard
New Line Cinema