Unfortunately, Mr. Woodcock isn’t executed as cleverly as either of the two aforementioned films, but the resulting hybrid is nonetheless both funny and relatable.
The Movie
In some ways, Mr. Woodcock is another underdog story, imbuing the film with many relatable themes.
The basic plot is appropriately archetypal: John Farley (Scott) triumphantly returns to his hometown after overcoming his childhood obesity and gaining considerable recognition for his self-help book about letting go of the past only to find that his mother (Susan Sarandon) is now dating Jasper Woodcock (Thornton), the very gym teacher that tormented him as a child. His initial attempt at acceptance fails upon realizing that Woodcock is as mean and insulting as ever, and Farley quickly vows vengeance and begins his quest to end the relationship between his mom and the evil gym teacher.
A humorous competition of sorts ensues, a simplistic and primal real-life version of chess where Farley and Woodcock alternately try to force one another out of the picture, the animosity between the two escalating with each successive move, until the competition reaches its height during a final showdown in the form of a wrestling match that settles somewhere between the Olympic and professional wrestling styles.
The basic story is relatable enough, with Scott portraying the loving and somewhat naïve son who simply wants to protect his mother from his sadistic arch-nemesis. The story also often flashes back to Farley being persecuted in gym class as a child, another motif to which most people can certainly relate.
However, the film becomes a little contradictory as the character development progresses. As the story unfolds, Scott’s character becomes increasingly hypocritical, openly acknowledging that he doesn’t believe or follow any of the advice in his book. As Farley becomes more unlikable as a protagonist, always sinking to new lows trying to discredit Woodcock, Woodcock is, in turn, sometimes portrayed as a fine gentleman and upstanding citizen, making him more likeable, even as an antagonist. By the end of the film, I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to win.
In the end, though, the film returns to its relatable themes, as both characters realize the error of their ways and are able to grow and mature.
The movie is not extraordinarily funny, touching, or memorable. It certainly has its humorous moments though, most often in the form of slapstick-style gym injuries or Woodcock’s sarcastic and random ‘suck-it-up’ and ‘walk-it-off’ comments. Ethan Suplee’s character is also quite endearing due to his simple-mindedness and unwavering optimism and loyalty. Some might find Amy Poehler’s character funny, but I did not. She seemed to be oddly cast as comedic relief, which is generally not necessary in a comedy, and the scenes involving her generally required her to either be obnoxiously bossy and domineering or blatantly promiscuous, neither of which I enjoyed.
Special Features
The special features include several deleted scenes, none of which are particularly enlightening, but a couple of which are pretty funny. There is also a ‘Making Of’ feature, complete with interviews with all of the stars. This feature contains some humor and some relatively fundamental insights into the development of the characters and the creation of the film, complete again with Poehler’s mildly annoying and juvenile randomness. Finally, there is a ‘P.E. Trauma Tales’ feature that contains some humorous cast memories and a segment that follows an actual P.E. teacher through his daily activities.
Presentation
The DVD menus were quite impressive. While the special features and scene selection menus held the theme unremarkably, the main menu was actually quite interesting, complete with constantly changing panels of moving video. The transitions among menus were also refreshing, using humorous clips of gym class injuries to make perusing the DVD a bit more enjoyable.
Overall
Mr. Woodcock does not stand out either as a hilarious success or a terrible failure. The film was safe, employing reliable comedy and a few middle-tier stars, and, despite its mediocrity, it was enjoyable enough.
