- Title: Mr. Woodcock
- IMDB: link
How could anybody not laugh at statements and quotes like “Could I get a real bottle please? I’m an alcoholic not a Barbie doll.” or “You must like getting spanked Farley, I guess it runs in the family.“Let’s move past the fact that Mr. Woodcock is never going to be an Oscar contender and certainly has absolutely no redeeming qualities, but go in with a limp mind and a need to laugh and next thing you know your funny bone is going crazy.
Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton) is a mean and humiliating P.E. teacher and dishes out a whole heap of brutal comments and belittling anecdotes to his students. With each wincing blow of his whistle another child bites the dust; missing your cup…ouch, forgot your gym clothes…get the rentals and piss off Mr. Woodcock…do gin-ups in your tighty whities. John Farley (Seann William Scott), a plump and somewhat unmotivated child, Mr. Woodcock paid special attention to and took a fatty and ultimately motivated him to change his life by becoming a successful author and motivated speaker, all about “Letting Go: Getting Past Your Past. Accompanied by his loud-mouthed alcoholic and insensitive publicist Maggie Hoffman (Amy Poehler), she adds a bit of humor here and there, John finds himself in a whirlwind of popularity. When offered the prestigious “Corn Cob Key” during his hometown’s annual Cornival Festival, John couldn’t resist returning home and surprising dear old mom, Beverly Farley (Susan Sarandon). Much to his dismay he finds mom in love with Mr. Woodcock and soon engaged to marry him. John enlists the help of old classmates to break up the unhappy engagement. Instead of feeling better and showing everybody what an ass Woodcock is, John made an ass out of himself and hurt his mother’s feelings. Woodcock and John realized that the two of them needed to start getting along and let bygones be bygones and make Beverly happy.
Accompanied by a few slapstick moments, grungy snarky remarks and deadpan humor from the magnificent Billy Bob (Sling Blade) Thorton, Mr. Woodcock is a brain-dead comedic relief.