Review: Woody Harrelson Is Comically Crazy in WILSON
When I saw the trailer for the movie Wilson, I was really excited. It looked hilarious, and we all know Woody Harrelson is great. This film also stars Laura Dern and Judy Greer, two actresses I love. In other words, I was setting myself up for disappointment. I didn’t know this movie was based on a graphic novel, and had I known that, I would have prepared myself a little better. We’ve all been disappointed by graphic-novels-turned-movies in the past.
Harrelson stars as the title character in this dramedy based on the satirical graphic novel by the same name. Wilson is a lonely guy who is desperate to connect with the people around him, but he can’t quite figure out how. Wilson has absolutely no trouble speaking his mind, even to complete strangers, which often leads to uncomfortable but very funny situations. After reconnecting with his ex (Dern) and finding out he has a daughter, he attempts to make up for lost time as the family man he could have been.
It’s hard to describe the plot of this movie because the pacing is really strange. Like I said, I didn’t realize that this movie was based on a graphic novel before seeing it, but knowing that helps clear up a lot of issues I had. First of all, time is a tricky element in this movie. Days, weeks, and years all pass in about the same amount of screen time. In a graphic novel, this wouldn’t really be an issue. Each scene would act as a more independent sort of comic strip that ties loosely into a larger story. But you don’t really get that sort of separation in this movie, so the plot feels really convoluted and messy.
I think Harrelson is a fantastic actor, and he really shines as the obnoxious know-it-all whose misguided attempts to make friends and navigate through society make the audience both laugh and cringe. But more often than not, Wilson goes too far and we’re left wondering why on earth anyone even puts up with him. And he talks so much. So much. Voiceovers, monologues, even in scenes where he’s interacting with other characters, he does 90% of the talking. He’s so self-centered, he doesn’t really care that he’s ruining the lives of everyone around him. Sometimes I felt bad for him because he’s so ignorant, but other times I just wanted to punch him in the face.
So while I really wanted to like this movie, it turned out to be just okay. Wilson was at his best when he was delivering quippy one-liners, which makes sense because they were originally written as punchlines to comic strips. The graphic novel looks great, however, and I will be scouring my library for a copy as soon as possible.