Blu-ray Review: Drillbit Taylor: Extended Survival Edition

Release Date: July 1st, 2008
Running Time: 109 minutes

The Film

Is it just me, or does it seem like every comedy coming out has Judd Apatow’s name stamped on it? Not every film can be as classic as Knocked Up or Superbad, so inevitably a few less humorous titles get tossed in the mix. Drillbit Taylor: Extended Survival Edition isn’t without charm, but it doesn’t come close to the lofty standards set by Apatow’s other productions.

The film centers around three kids entering their freshmen year in high school with grandiose ideas of being cool and getting girls. Unfortunately, the kids are doomed to be nerds. Wade (Nate Hartley) is pathetically skinny, Ryan (Troy Gentile) is on the heftier side, and Emmit (David Dorfman) couldn’t be any geekier. The trio is immediately the target for horrid bullying by a jerk named Filkins (Alex Frost). With no end to their torment in sight, the kids decide to hire a bodyguard, but don’t have the funds to hire a legitimate professional. Enter Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson). Drillbit pretends to be a weapons expert and former Army Ranger, but is actually a homeless man who plans on taking the kids money, ripping off their parents, and moving to Canada. He puts the kids through a nonsensical training camp to make them tougher, and spouts off simply awful advice that they all eat up.

In the process molding his protégés, Drillbit takes a liking to them and decides to actually help with their plight. He concocts a scheme to infiltrate the school as a substitute teacher to make sure that Filkins gets what is coming to him. Things become even more enticing for Drillbit when he spies a hot teacher (Leslie Mann) and makes it his sub-mission to hook up with her.

Drillbit Taylor didn’t work for me because it felt like the film could never figure out what it wanted to be: a goofball comedy, a more family-oriented feel-good affair, or a teenage splice-of-life tale ala Superbad. The kids are genuinely funny and Wilson is his usual kooky self, the pieces just don’t come together.

The Disc

The video is presented in 2.35:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. The quality is surprisingly strong for a film that doesn’t necessarily need a stellar transfer. The colors are bright and vivid throughout. Detail is excellent, and more importantly, consistent. The transfer is free of compression artifacts or film grain. I did notice a few instances of jaggy lines, but that’s about the only negative thing I can comment on.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish/Portuguese Subtitles. There is nothing wrong with the track; it is just a clear, but bland and front heavy mix. Dialogue is balanced and crisp. Surrounds do kick in occasionally to provide some basic ambient sounds as well. It is good that the audio isn’t unnecessarily in-your-face, but it’s not an exercise in the immersive subtlety of sound either.

The Extras

Commentary is offered with Director Steven Bill, Co-Producer Kristofor Brown, Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, and David Dorfman. I couldn’t believe how tame this track was. Silence is far too common, and no one seems to have much fun with it, resulting in a wasted opportunity.

A slew of very short featurettes are offered, though almost none of which cover any real ground. “Directing Kids,” “Super Billy,” “Bully,” and “Bodyguard” (all 3 minutes) are cast-centric discussions. “Trading Punches” is a 2-minute bit on the “stunts” and “action.” “Rap Off” (4 minutes) covers the rapping scene, while “Sprinkler Day” (3 minutes) is about the title sequence. “The Real Don: Danny McBride” (4 minutes) talks about the inspiration for a character while “Life of a Don” (2 minutes) is an in-character interview. Lastly, “Filkins Fight” is a 7-minute look at the climactic end scene.

“The Writers Get to Talk” is a 14-minute montage of stills where writers Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogan provide some facts about the film.

19 Deleted Scenes run 24 minutes, with only a few scant lines from Wilson that are worthwhile.

“Line-O-Rama” is a 4-minute highlight reel montage of lines.

Two other 3-minute montages are offered. “Panhandle” splices together the panhandling scenes in the film, while “Kids on the Loose” is footage of the stars messing around on set.

Lastly, a Gag Reel (4 minutes) and Trailer are offered.

Final Thoughts

Drillbit Taylor: Extended Survival Edition is an uneven collection of decent gags and misfires. If you are an Owen Wilson fan it makes a decent rental, but I would only suggest a purchase for Apatow completists.