World’s Greatest Dad (2009), directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, is about a single father raising an abusive, oversexed, out-of-control high schooler/borderline sociopath. The first half of the movie, overflowing with the son’s scorn and abuse, and the father’s resignation and quiet desperation to connect, was shocking, moving, even funny at times despite all the cringe-worthy episodes. I don’t recall ever seeing a child torment their parent so much in a movie. When the son accidentally chokes to death while beating off, the father (played by Robin Williams) uses his son’s death as an opportunity to get his own writing published under his son’s name, thus finally getting recognition (of a sort) for his own existence.
I was so caught up in the twisted relationship between the father and son that I didn’t think about the title of the movie until long after I finished watching it. “World’s Greatest Dad” is a strange choice because the movie is really about the world’s worst kid. The title is neither ironic-comedic (Robin Williams does not play a bumbling clueless dad, as I first expected) nor a straight description (he is probably not the best dad either). Why that title, then? I think it perfectly captures the heaviness of being a parent. No matter who your kid is, even an unpitiable and manipulative “douche bag” (in the words of Robin Williams), as a parent, you want a connection with them and feel responsible to some degree for their happiness. The scene of Robin Williams discovering his son’s body is so full of grief it’s horrifying; it’s all the worse because his son’s whole life was a tragic joke, now with no second chance of a normal, happy life or connection with his dad. Even though Robin Williams’ character is not a failure at life and love, I’m sure he feels like one.
3 Mulligans 