Mr. Woodcock
New Line Cinema | Release Date: September 14, 2007
7.6
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 99 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
68
Mixed:
12
Negative:
19
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
TheQuietGamerJun 30, 2020
This is one of the more puzzling films I've seen. I'm honestly not sure what I was supposed to get out of it. Laughter? Quite frankly it's too dark for that. This is one of those lopsided rivalry "comedies" where a guy tries and repeatedlyThis is one of the more puzzling films I've seen. I'm honestly not sure what I was supposed to get out of it. Laughter? Quite frankly it's too dark for that. This is one of those lopsided rivalry "comedies" where a guy tries and repeatedly fails to get revenge on some alpha male stereotype who caused him harm in the past. The only difference here being that the untouchable jerkwad is the protagonist's old gym teacher, who used to beat the crap out of him back when he was a kid. It's hard to find any amusement in a dynamic like that.

I have nothing against slapstick. Case in point, I consider Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story to be among the funniest movies of all time. People falling down, getting hurt, and generally just beating the crap out of each other can be downright hilarious if done right. However, the way this tries to mine humor out of a grown man physically abusing a bunch of minors never works. Especially since you witness these moments through the main character's PTSD-style flashbacks that carry a bizarrely serious tone for what's supposed to be a lighthearted chucklefest. Also, please keep in mind all of this is coming from a guy who almost busted a gut guffawing at the playground beatdown at the end of Step Brothers.

The only things possibly saving this from being a total failure as a comedy are the few guilty giggles I found near the end of the film and Amy Poehler in a decidedly un-Leslie Knope role. The Parks and Recreation sweetheart shows just as much talent for playing a total scumbag as she does for portraying individuals that are nothing short of utterly affable, making me wish we could see more of that kind of stuff from her. Everything else is tired banged your mom jokes and the aforementioned attempts at making an adult assaulting children from a place of genuine cruelty tickle your funny bone.

So what does that leave? A message? Some kind of morals to be taken away? As to be expected with this kind of premise, the conclusion sees the two leads eventually putting their differences aside and becoming friends or something. Not over finding common ground or anything like that. Instead, Stifler just decides that having an authority figure hit him in the balls for forgetting his cup when he was growing up was actually a good thing because it made him a stronger individual years later, despite all evidence actually pointing to the contrary. That's some shady logic to try and sell to the audience. There's also no reason given as to why Woodcock is the way that he is, so it's impossible to view him as more than a honest-to-goodness piece of crap who deserves some legitimate comeuppance that never arrives. Why should we be willing to accept his life also ended up in a better place by the time the credits rolled?

As much issue as I take with, well, I guess ALL of this, I can't say I wasn't invested. I remained completely engaged in the highly questionable display unfolding before my eyes all the way through, even if it was solely to determine what the intentions of the people behind this were. It's a fascinating watch in a "why did they think this would be funny?" sort of way. Perhaps I'm giving it too much credit for holding my attention, particularly given all my complaining, but there are plenty of better options out there that have failed to do the same so I suppose I'll acknowledge the value in that.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
MichelleC.Sep 14, 2007
Very funny. Stifler returns!!!!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
SIMONM.Sep 14, 2007
Uuhhhh anyone see School for Scoundrels? yeah that wasn't funny either. Oh wait thats right the ONLY funny movie Billy Bob Thorton was ever in was Bad Santa and that movie is average as is. Save your money, thank god I had a free pass Uuhhhh anyone see School for Scoundrels? yeah that wasn't funny either. Oh wait thats right the ONLY funny movie Billy Bob Thorton was ever in was Bad Santa and that movie is average as is. Save your money, thank god I had a free pass or I'd have been mad as hell.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
UncleDougBigelowSep 19, 2007
This movie was horrible. Need I say more?
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
DanyelleS.Sep 23, 2007
It just doesn't get off the ground.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
GerrickC.Jan 22, 2008
Takes some steam to get "funny", and when it finally does get "funny" the "funny" really isn't that "funny."
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
DanK.Feb 16, 2008
No classic but Mr.Woodcock provides enough decent laughs to make for a fun Friday night picture
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
THWestSep 14, 2007
There are a few laugh out loud moments, but it seemed that they were few and far between, and the majority of the jokes just fell flat. You could see how certain scenes/gags could be funny, but the delivery and timing were just way off. The There are a few laugh out loud moments, but it seemed that they were few and far between, and the majority of the jokes just fell flat. You could see how certain scenes/gags could be funny, but the delivery and timing were just way off. The movie is less than 90 minutes long, but it seemed to drag on forever. This was a waste of Thornton and Sarandon's talents. Even Stifler struggled to make me laugh.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
ValH.Jan 30, 2008
Surprising movie with heart. Kinda reminds me of the high school days..Lots of food for thought tidbits sprinkled all over the movie, with some slapstick and insult comedy that can be hilarious at time, plus a moral story to boot in the end. Surprising movie with heart. Kinda reminds me of the high school days..Lots of food for thought tidbits sprinkled all over the movie, with some slapstick and insult comedy that can be hilarious at time, plus a moral story to boot in the end. i had some reservations before seeing this movie due to the kinda raunchy title and poster.. but I was surprised to find that this movie does have "balls", no pun intended.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MikeG.Jan 26, 2008
Great movie. it appears to me that comedy movies almost never get a good score here at metacritic. people take themselves too seriously.plot/situation creates jokes through the entire movie. absolutely is better than average.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
asylumspadezNov 26, 2011
It was actually rather boring through out and had very little funny parts. The acting was pretty generic and wasnt as good as I expected either. It was just another below average comedy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think alot of people, especially those with weight issues at a guess, will have some negative memories of PE/Gym class at school and so might think of this as being good for a laugh, to see a now much fitter guy come back and kick his old Gym teachers uh butt lol although I'm not sure it totally works, considering its not as easy as that and more often than not, its the other way around, with Woodcock getting the better over John. That just makes us more frustrated to see the tables reversed of course! Watching how he treats some of the kids at the start of the movie, including one young boy who has asthma and is told to go run a mile or something similar, you certainly do feel sorry for them to a fair extent.

Some of the comedy is fairly funny but I think overall, the major let down of this movie is that the story just felt a bit too weak. Its all based on the basic premise, like I say, that a once somewhat chubby kid grows up and becomes successful, then comes home to stop his mother dating the old men gym teacher... and thats all... and does he even succeed? well you'll have to watch it to find out. It isn't the longest movie either, which is probably a good thing, it felt a little too stretched out already at 1 hour 20 and that pretty much says it all... it needed more to it I think.

There is also a moral side present, which is a bit too cheesy in my eyes. This is mainly where John gets to give a speech as the winner of his award and decides to rant about Mr. Woodcock in front of the local community. Thats definitely one of the cringeworthy moments in this movie, even more so when he learns that something he thought wasn't even true, in that scene. Funny? sort of... but im not totally convinced by it.

Its easy enough to like John and to want to boo everytime Mr. Woodcock appears on screen and to know where you want the story to go but its all just a bit too weak really... There are some daft moments and some laughs to be had and it probably will make you think back to your school days and what your gym class was like. Its ok as a fairly short comedy but nothing too remarkable really ...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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