A boy and his rat.
Well, there are lots and lots of rats, but you know what I mean.
Actually, I’ve always wanted a pet Chihuahua, but I would never want a rat.
Course some people would consider that the same thing.
Anyway, Willard is a remake and / or updated version of the movie of the same name from the early Seventies. I really don’t remember the flick much, but I do kinda remember the song Ben which a young, still African American Michael Jackson sang. Funny how the boy that sung Ben grew up to be even stranger than the character that sings to Ben in the song, Willard himself.
I do think it’s cool that the end credits feature the new movie’s star crooning the same song…
You know how some teachers in school tell you that every one starts with an “A”, and then as you fuck up your grade suffers for it and eventually you end up a solid B- to C student with no life and a shitty career in accounting / bookkeeping / payroll that you don’t really care for?
Um, well, maybe that’s just me, but you know what I mean…
Well, Willard started with a solid “A +”. I liked the opening credits, especially as coupled with the Elfmanesque score from Shirley Walker. Shirley Walker always sounds like Danny Elfman…she also did the score to Batman: The Animated Series. Anyway, then there’s a black screen, and the first words of the movie ring out in the darkened theater.
Good show.
But sadly, and I guess, expectedly, it was all downhill from there.
Crispin Glover plays the title character, and let me tell you want, he is one strange boy.
He’s very good…kinda pathetic and meek and creepy and psychotic and troubled.
But he’s also not as good as I hoped he’d be. I mean, let’s face it, I don’t really care for a movie about swarming rats. But the trailer seemed to focus on the mental instability of Glover’s character, so I was thinking this was gonna rock. And don’t get me wrong, it did have it’s moments, but I have to say I was disappointed.
Willard was adapted and directed by Glen Morgan.
I’d have to say he shows great promise. He did a nice job…but the movie just never had the “oomph!” it needed to put it over the top. It did have some pretty gross moments, mostly at the expense of Willard’s mother. Wow, she’s not very attractive, eh?
I know Glen Morgan has a background with The X-Files, so I hope he stays in the genre.
I think maybe his next effort can be a hit.
And who knows, maybe Willard WILL be a hit…