Wilson (2017)

Wilson is the "feel good comedy of the year" filled with interesting characters, quirky places and anchored by a strong, unique and Oscar-worthy performance by Woody Harrelson.

April Fools

What a mess this movie is.  It tries so hard to be a "quirky comedy" that it focuses all of it's attention on the quirk and very little on what makes quirky comedies work - the characters.

Let's start with the biggest problem with this film - the central performance of Woody Harrelson as the titular Wilson.  When we first see him, he is a "get off my lawn" grumpy old man.  In the next scene, he is an inappropriate "close talker", in the next it seems he has no filter.  In the next, he has a childlike wonder.  All of these adds up to various "quirks" of the character, but none of them equal a character.  What they do is confuse the audience as to what kind of character they are watching.  So when Wilson finally has the heart-breaking moment that will change him - we are left to wonder if he is changed for the better, or the worse or is he even changed.  And I concluded with the worst comment of all...

I don't care.

This film is based on a graphic novel and a screenplay by Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) and the Direction is by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) - both of whom has done good work in the past, but this just isn't.  The direction is all over the board bouncing from comedy to drama, but mostly landing in some mediocre middle area between the two, which drains the emotion from the proceedings.  Writer Clowes must know this character in his head, and I'm sure it makes sense to him, but it sure didn't to me and this effort fails miserably.

There are some redeeming qualities, as the film is filled with strong performers in the supporting roles filled with the likes of Margot Martindale, Judy Greer, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Cheryl Hines, but they are on the screen all too briefly and I would have liked to have seen a film digging deeper into these characters (without Wilson).  Only Laura Dern, as Wilson's ex-wife, acquits herself well.  Her damaged, healing soul was the lone bright spot that made me sit up whenever she was on the screen.

This movie was filmed in the Twin Cities, so at least I had some fun picking out the locations on the screen.  Unfortunately, the filmmakers, again, went for "quirky" so I become very cynical about what location was coming up next.  I have the feeling the location scout was told to find "the odd, the weird and the quirky" in the Twin Cities.  And, with that, they were successful.

Letter Grade:  C-

3 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)

Fmovies: 'WILSON': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A comedy-drama, based on the 2010 graphic novel (of the same name) by Daniel Clowes (who also wrote the screenplay). The film was directed by Craig Johnson, who also helmed the 2014 indie hit 'THE SKELETON TWINS', and it stars Woody Harrelson (in the title role). The movie tells the story of a lonely, neurotic and extremely honest middle-aged man, named Wilson, who goes looking for his teenage daughter, after just discovering he had one. Laura Dern, Judy Greer and Isabella Amara also costar in the movie. It's received a limited indie theatrical release at the Box Office, and it's gotten mostly mediocre reviews from critics. I also found the film to be far from perfect, but it's also at least somewhat entertaining and insightful.

Wilson (Harrelson) is a lonely middle-aged man, who's lived alone most of his life. He's neurotic, and he's also uncomfortably open, and honest, with almost everyone he meets; which causes most people to distance themselves from him. Wilson was briefly married, to another mentally unstable, and now drug addicted, woman named Pippi (Dern). Pippi and Wilson conceived a child together, years earlier, but Wilson was told the baby was aborted. When he finds out the child was born, and she's now living with adoptive parents nearby, he feels the obsessive need to meet her (Amara).

I've never read the graphic novel that the film is based on, but I did enjoy the quirky 2001 cult classic 'GHOST WORLD'; which Clowes also wrote the screenplay to (and the comic book it was based on). I do really like the Wilson character though, and I can really relate to him in many ways (but definitely not in every way). I think Harrelson does an outstanding job portraying him too, and the movie is quite involving because of it. It's a little too unbalanced though, to highly recommend it; it's just way too dark at times, in comparison to it's otherwise upbeat nature.

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A slice of life is how I describe these movies, where one sees the common and mundane in a certain context.

Wilson is the story of an average misunderstood man from another time who is shown as hurting and caring but perseveres to try and find meaning in his otherwise drab existence. An average man who, by today's standards, is the bogeyman but as this poster can attest, speaks of an era where people were unique and opinionated instead of self-absorbed and indifferent.

I am looking forward to a second viewing to further see the depth of Harrelson's Wilson. And if there are other Clowes/Eightball fans out there who haven't seen Wilson yet, I recommend it. I also hope The Death-Ray and Ice Haven are made into movies.

Wilson fmovies. Not sure why this movie would even be considered a comedy, when in fact it had a very surreal flow to the story. I love movies like this because in the world in my head, I would love to be unfiltered like Woody was, with a heart of gold and speak my mind and, not have to worry about how other people my feel. Especially with my dickhead employer. For me this was a nice dramadey, and I don't agree with the other reviews about Harrelson not be able to save this film. In my opinion I loved his character and the rest of the cast. For a man to find out he has a child giving up to adoption and then trying to build a relationship with her, and for the child not to have a built up resentment towards their biological parents, is a very powerful message of relationship on the big screen. I have a on going visitation battle right now with my ex-wife from hell, and I swear, I'm fighting everyday to keep the relationship between me and my daughter alive. So to all you reviewers who didn't like Woody's role. I'm sorry this movie spoke volume to me. And to all you mothers and fathers out there that are not in your child's life they way you should be, Its time to really step up and man up....Great film

This movie had me laughing so much I'm gonna have to watch it again because I missed some of the dialog due to not being able to stop laughing. There is a lot of foul language because Woody's character has no filter, and that's part of the humor. Unlike most movies made these days, there's a purpose and method to the language. It's not just foul language for the sake of foul language. Having said that, it's probably best to watch alone, or with someone you know is not sensitive to foul language. Woody does an excellent job with his character, although I get the feeling it wasn't much of a stretch for him. This may be the best I've seen from Woody. Excellent movie!

This film tells the story of a man who believes in human communication through conversation and physical interaction. People think he is a weirdo, but all he really wants is to connect with another soul, and be remembered by after he leaves the mortal world.

"Wilson" sounds like a silly and forgettable comedy, but it actually is way seller and thought provoking than it appears. It points out the fact that people being nice to each other unconditionally is a forgotten art, and even socially unacceptable in some circumstances. Wilson's deep desire to connect with others certainly connected and resonated with me, and I find myself reflecting upon the current state of human interaction in the modern world. The story is bittersweet, and I really enjoyed it. It's a pleasant and unexpected surprise.