Wilson

Name: Wilson
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: March 24, 2017
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 49

2017

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Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critics

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Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Ratings

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5.1	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Ratings

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Wilson

Movie Details & Credits

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: March 24, 2017

Summary: Wilson (Woody Harrelson) is a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) and gets a shot at happiness when he learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amara) he has never met. In his uniquely outrageous and slightly twisted way, he sets out to connect with her.

Director: Craig Johnson

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 94 min

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Critic Reviews

We Got This Covered Joseph Hernandez

Mar 23, 2017

Funny, touching and insightful. Woody Harrelson is in top comedic form in this tonally unique comedy with a lot on its mind. Read full review

The A.V. Club A.A. Dowd

Mar 22, 2017

It’s a gamble, building a comedy around a character this boorish. Read full review

The Seattle Times Moira Macdonald

Mar 23, 2017

A character, even when he’s played by Woody Harrelson, is not a movie. Read full review

Mark Feeney

Mar 23, 2017

A lot of talent gets wasted in Wilson: not just Harrelson, Dern, and Clowes. Read full review

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Johanna Schneller

Mar 23, 2017

Perhaps I’ve seen one too many movies in which men who need to grow up have to wreak havoc on other people’s lives to do it. And this is that one too many. Read full review

Tampa Bay Times Steve Persall

Mar 23, 2017

Harrelson and Dern's efforts aside, Wilson is indie ennui at its emptiest, a vessel of misshapen wit with a hole in the bottom. Its nihilism is exhausting. Oddness gets oppressive when a movie goes through more mood swings than its unbalanced heroes. Read full review

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

Mar 21, 2017

Inevitably, his generic disgruntlement will soften: Amerindie dyspeptic-comedy formula dictates that the man who rants two times too many against the addiction to phones and the internet will, by film’s end, have a heart-stirring video chat. Read full review

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User Reviews

LeZee

Jul 13, 2017

The man who'd lost everything, is set to redefine his life.

From the director of 'The Skeleton Key', I can see his style of filmmaking as I'd watched these two films of him. That makes him a stylish filmmaker of his own style. This kind of story narration is not for everyone. But surelyThe man who'd lost everything, is set to redefine his life.

From the director of 'The Skeleton Key', I can see his style of filmmaking as I'd watched these two films of him. That makes him a stylish filmmaker of his own style. This kind of story narration is not for everyone. But surely there are people for it. This is not a very good film, but simply a good film.

It revolved around a character who is kind of an anti-social. He has lost everything one by one in his life and now his close buddy who moved far away and then his father who has just died. So he decides to find his ex wife, and with that he comes to know some long hidden secret. Going after it, his life forever changes which is what covered in the remaining film.

It was Woody Harrelson's show. But I quite liked Laura Dern as well. It was a long time after seeing her in this kind of absorbing role, yeah, except recently from 'Wild'. And there was Judy Greer, who was not bad either. So the casting was fantastic and the story was a lot better than you could judge it from its poster.

Not an unusual storyline, but well adapted from the graphic novel of the same name. You might get impressed by it, so I say try it, despite low ratings. Anyway, I had a nice time with it. A sweet and short film, which's mostly out of real world logics. But serves its purpose, that's entertaining its audience.

7/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

TVJerry

Mar 27, 2017

Woody Harrelson is usually delightful in comic roles, but he's trying too hard in this one. It's based on a graphic novel that I didn't read, but someone who has, told me that his movie character is pretty much like it reads. This makes him an optimistic, neurotic and often inappropriate manWoody Harrelson is usually delightful in comic roles, but he's trying too hard in this one. It's based on a graphic novel that I didn't read, but someone who has, told me that his movie character is pretty much like it reads. This makes him an optimistic, neurotic and often inappropriate man who wants to make his misguided life better. This includes re-uniting with his ex (Laura Dern) and the teenage daughter who was given up for adoption (Isabella Amara). His encounters (which feature plenty of his rambling social commentary) are seldom amusing, much less funny and the character isn't especially sympathetic or comical. The film wanted to be quirky, but it lacked the writing or direction to make it work.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Ralfbergs

Jun 23, 2017

I do not really know what the movie's message is. At first it feels like a drama with a comedic twist, then it feels a bit like comedy and then it goes back to drama and ends up not knowing what it really wants to tell.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NightReviews

Apr 4, 2017

Have you ever met a person that was always so negative; a complete narcissist; a complete nut case who goes about doing all the wrong things, and makes the worst life choices ever? Well, if you do know a person like that and want to compare them to someone else as neurotic, Wilson is theHave you ever met a person that was always so negative; a complete narcissist; a complete nut case who goes about doing all the wrong things, and makes the worst life choices ever? Well, if you do know a person like that and want to compare them to someone else as neurotic, Wilson is the movie for you. Woody Harrelson plays the titular title character with as much pizzazz and life as possible while being an inherently bleak as can be.

Harrelson’s Wilson can best be described as the ultimate misanthrope. Nevermind Ebenezer Scrooge, Wilson is the real deal when it comes to pessimism. Taking the world with less than a grain of salt, Wilson tackles the world with the most obvious sense of negativity, blaming people and society for all thats gone wrong in his life, including his; love life, family life and most of all, all of his own quirks and habits. Don’t believe us? Just pay close attention to one very short and emotionally draining scene where Wilson visits his father on his deathbed. Like so many cases after this scene, Wilson seeks for retribution and peace in all the wrong places and times.

Clearly the oddball in his almost picturesque Minnesota community, Wilson’s world shakes and shatters upon the discovery that an old flame and frequent drug user Pippi (Laura Dern) decided to keep a child they had together, who later independently decided to put the girl up for adaption. Upon the discovery of Pippi, and some sort of hope that the once love would rekindle, Wilson takes it upon himself to find his daughter Claire (Isabella Amara) and the beautiful urban family who has taken the responsibility to raise Claire as their own. As expected, in the most distasteful and awkward way possible, Wilson, along with Pippi, make it a hobby to include themselves in Claire’s life almost forcefully.

Having an almost crude and grimy way of connecting with humanity as a whole, Wilson makes good-intentioned decision to involve himself in Claire’s life, until things begins to spiral out of control, in familiar Wilson-fashion, leading Wilson to state penitentiary.

Luckily for us, Harrelson, one of the most versatile and interesting actors working today, allows Wilson to be a very engaging and interesting character film, focusing on the ideas of longing and loneliness. While we were fortunate enough to have the film written by Daniel Clowes, the original author of which the graphic novel the film is based off of, and Craig Johnson, director of the totally off-beat but satisfying tragic comedy The Skeleton Twins, Clowes and Johnson are able to keep the spunkiness of the almost two hour film somewhat light, keeping its flowing characters in serious need of redemption mostly entertaining and engaging.

Do not get it twisted, Wilson is a very dark and comedic film, just not dark in the sense that depression and pill popping may ensue after. While Clowes has a knack of making really funny situations and characters depressing and almost unchangeable, Wilson does progress towards a satisfying yet, in its own way, Hollywood ending. While I did long for a more in-depth look or analysis of Wilson’s relationship with his father, it never comes.

While Wilson showcases the many levels and various temperaments of a very flawed and almost unlikable character, by the end of the film, one cannot help to kinda/sorta fall in love with Wilson. There is an illustrious comedic poignancy of the man who barely reaps the benefits of all of life’s wonderful yet disillusioning obstacles. Decorated with slight glimpses of retribution for our beloved inane character, the world in which Wilson longs for is one that is slightly unattainable, yet charmingly whimsical.

Harrelson is an actor that can pretty well play anything and anyone. Slap on a pair of thick framed glasses, a shaggy silver-laced beard and Harrelson nails all of the nuances of a impulsive man for whom bell tolls for on a daily basis, blowing up everything and everyone in his crazy and directionless path.

Luckily for Clowes and Johnson (the original author of the source material and director) were able to assembler a quite impressive cast for a Sundance and indie darling. With the likes of Harrelson, Dern, Cheryl Hines and Judy Greer, giving a well needed spunk and kick in the ass to a somewhat joyless narrative, despite some uncomfortably appealing scenes of Wilson within a school playground and pet shop parking lot.

Overall, Wilson may probably not be your most beloved feature of 2017, nor will it be your most memorable. Luckily for us, art is always a reflection of the images we see on screen, and if there is anything Wilson does well, its reminding us that there is light at the end of the tunnel; and no matter how bad things may end up looking or really are, hope, happiness and redemption is always in store, just don’t squander on the opportunities once they becomes apparent.… Expand

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