World's Greatest Dad
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: August 21, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Film ThreatScott Knopf
A very funny comedy. It’s a very funny comedy that almost made me cry. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
With Dad and his last writer-director effort, "Sleeping Dogs Lie," Goldthwait has accomplished the formidable feat of making wry, tender, fundamentally sweet comedies about the human condition that just happen to center on acts of autoerotic asphyxiation and bestiality, respectively. That isn't easy. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Williams hasn't been this sympathetic in years. Read full review
80
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
The particular stew of midlife and pubescent despair that clogs a single-father male-child household has rarely been achieved so well. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
With a merciless acuity this nihilistic comedy ridicules collective grief and the news media's cynical marketing of inspirational uplift after a death. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGlenn Whipp
For all of its cutting cynicism, "Dad" proves unexpectedly moving in its portrait of a middle-aged man leaving childish things behind. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy Biancolli
After leading the audience into some very inky satire, Goldthwait backs off. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
The edginess here isn't merely facile. Goldthwait's movies, including the under-appreciated "Shakes the Clown," are about reclaiming dignity from the dung heap. And he's found a fitting collaborator. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This premise is well-established because of a disturbingly good performance by Daryl Sabara as Kyle, the disgusting son. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
For a comedy about autoerotic asphyxiation, epic deception, and shameless exploitation, World's Greatest Dad is a surprisingly sweet and tender affair. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Goldthwaite's script has the honesty of someone speaking with the voice of experience. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Yes, a comedy, however dark, about a parent taking advantage of a child's death is a tough sell. But with Williams more restrained and sympathetic than he's been in years (again, faint praise), and a final act that makes up for a ponderous first third, "Dad" shows that it can be done. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
The picture wobbles a bit before emerging a successful low-key satire of literary fraud and morbid personality cults. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
With his delicate mix of sick humor and compassion, Goldthwait is that rare comic writer who can legitimately be compared to Lenny Bruce. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
May not be for everyone, but filmgoers tuned in to its particular, perverse frequency will find much to value in its bent sense of humor and compassion. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
At around the halfway point the film takes an intriguing swerve, as Kyle is canonized and Lance is unexpectedly launched into celebrityhood. Flashes of deadpan outrageousness occasionally redeem the dourness. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
A tad too long, and takes its sweet time to get to the point. But its twisted heart is in the right place. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A few scenes in World's Greatest Dad may qualify it as the most uncomfortable and unsettling movie to sit through of any this year. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It takes a while for the movie to build to its wicked possibilities and only a few scenes to squander them. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
Though wildly uneven, the film sometimes comes within screaming distance of the sick ironies of "Heathers." That's how loudly Goldthwait still knows how to yell. Read full review
60
EmpireDan Jolin
Odd, confident, challenging, and featuring a brilliant turn by Williams. If only there was just a little more to it. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDuane Byrge
Dunderheaded delirium from writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Sadly, once the movie shifts gears, it becomes a timid "Donnie Darko." Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Ultimately offers some ironic amusement but wallows too long in the sins of its father. Read full review
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