Wilson has some of the biggest laughs I’ve had in a comedy in
recent memory. It comes to us from the
mind of the great Daniel Clowes, who was also responsible for Ghost World, one
of my favorite movies of the ‘00s. I can’t
say it’s altogether as insightful and poignant as that film, but it’s a
definite improvement on the last Clowes adaptation, Art School Confidential.
Woody Harrelson stars as Wilson, a loveable loser who is
shaken by the death of his uncaring father.
He sets out to reconnect with his ex (Laura Dern) who tells him they
once had a daughter that was given up for adoption. Inspired by the news that he is a father,
Wilson decides to stalk and eventually befriend the daughter he never knew,
which leads to a series of unintended consequences.
Harrelson is terrific as Wilson. Very few people could pull off the character’s
in-your-face behavior and still make him likeable. Harrelson does it with ease though. It helps that he is given some truly
hilarious dialogue. When Dern takes him
to task for calling everyone he meets an asshole, he turns to her and asks, “Am
I wrong?”
The second half is a bit maudlin and more than a tad
depressing. It’s definitely lacking the
freewheeling panache of the early scenes.
That’s okay though because Harrelson does an equally great job when his
character is down and out. The ending is
a bit too pat, but these little nitpicks probably won’t mean much upon repeated
viewings. The fact that I’m already itching
to see it again is a testament to just how great it really is.
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