It’s always exciting to discover a movie completely out of the blue, especially when you see as many movies as I do. I’d never even heard of World’s Greatest Dad when it popped up as an instant streaming new release on Netflix this week. I figured, what the heck, I’ve liked Bobcat Goldthwait’s work in the past, might as well give this one a shot. That’s the beauty of the Netflix streaming. You don’t like it, you just stop it and stream something else (that was a non-affiliated shill).

Robin Williams plays the hapless Lance Clayton, a struggling writer and single father. He teaches to support his struggling writing career and his ungrateful, crude, hellishly behaved son (Daryl Sabara from the Spy Kids movies). He tries to be a good dad, but this kid is hopeless. One day Lance comes home to find his son has accidentally killed himself in a pretty embarrassing manner. Desperate to preserve a last shred of dignity for himself and, to a lesser extent, his son, Lance makes the death look like a suicide and writes an accompanying suicide note. Turns out, the note might be the best thing Lance has ever written. His son gains a posthumous notoriety, ultimately leading Lance to follow the note with a journal of his son’s teenage angst (that Lance also wrote). Lance has finally received recognition for his talents as a writer, albeit in a very backdoor manner. He’s gotten the girl and his jerk son is a Kurt Cobain-esque anti-hero. Needless to say, poor old Lance keeps sinking himself deeper and deeper.

Bobcat Goldthwait is sort of a diamond in the indie cinema rough. While I wouldn’t go so far as to compare him with the likes of Sayles of Jarmusch, he does what he does well and has carved out an interesting niche in the dark, dark comedy genre (we’ll call it the F’d Up Comedy Genre). While most people simply remember Bobcat as that ’80s guy with the crazy voice from the Police Academy movies, Zed, Bobcat has had a pretty successful career as a stand-up and occasional director. His directorial efforts are geared towards a very particular taste (dark comedic surrealism, warts and all). His debut, Shakes the Clown, a personal favorite, is the story of an alcoholic clown wanted for murder amidst a seedy alternative underworld where clowns battle mimes in the streets like Bloods and Crypts. Just to give you an idea of what you’re in for in a Bobcat comedy, Shakes opens with Bobcat (as Shakes the Clown) hung over in a bathroom floor getting pissed on by the son of the woman he just banged the night before, Mrs. Brady (Florence Henderson). Cinematic brilliance if I do say so myself.

Like Shakes, World’s Greatest Dad might not be for every taste. For instance, if you loved Paul Blart: Mall Cop and The Proposal, well then, I’m afraid this might not be your cup of tea. Dad is unapologetically original, deeply disturbed and funny as hell. It’s the kind of flick that makes you laugh and feel like maybe you shouldn’t be chuckling quite so hard. Well you shouldn’t, you sick bastard. Robin Williams is terrific, proving that even after years of hacky comedies he can still channel that greatness of his heydey when he so chooses. Check this one out and let me know what you think. You can find it on Amazon and Netflix and wherever else F’D up comedies are sold.

Quickie Score: 8.0 (out of 10)

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