Screened News

RSS

Welcome to Weird: Willard

As effed-up as feeding your boss to a mob of rats of is, we can all agree that Crispin Glover's career is weird enough on its own.

By Tom Pinchuk  |  July 9, 2011

The cutest, cuddliest devil on your shoulder.
The cutest, cuddliest devil on your shoulder.

As we celebrate the release of Horrible Bosses with this week’s theme, it behooves us to look at a weirdie about an incensed working stiff getting revenge on "the man" in a fashion far meaner than any comeuppance likely to be seen in the Sudeikis/Day/Bateman joint. To be sure, payback really doesn’t run much nastier than feeding your boss to an army of too-smart, too-hungry rats.

Willard was an odd choice for a remake in 2003. The ’71 original was a black comedy that starred Bruce Davison as the titular character, a mama’s boy whose only friends are rodents. When his cranky boss (played by Ernest Borgnine) pushes him too far, he uses his supernaturally-smart rat pals, Ben and Socrates, to marshal a verminous army to execute his wrath on the jerk. This remake follows the thrust of all that, more or less - - replacing Davison and Borgnine with Crispin Glover and R. Lee Ermey, of course - - but it oddly chooses to ratchet it up as a suspense thriller.

See what you can make of this trailer...

Aside from the coy use of “A Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” the trailer doesn’t especially scream “black comedy,” does it?

There’s honestly not much more to discuss. You can predict everything off the set-up. Does Willard get hideous revenge on his mean old boss? Oh yes. Does he develop a tentative romance with a sweet, sympathetic co-worker (Laura Harring) who’s ultimately repulsed by his darker tendencies? You bet. Does he ultimately end up in a mental hospital where he makes a cryptic button line suggesting he may continue his bad ways? Of course! If this is a black comedy, then it’s a morbid one-note joke that likely would’ve been better suited as a shorter episode of Tales from the Crypt.

There truly isn’t much in the way of complication with the plot. Willard’s a creep who becomes king of the rats. That’s it. It's not especially weird, but it absolutely deserves to be spotlighted in this column by the sheer virtue of it being a catalyst for the music video below. Crispin Glover covers the eponymous, sentimental theme song Michael Jackson sang for the original Willard’s sequel, Ben, in a clip that includes women writhing suggestively in rats and a cameo from Hitler for some inexplicable reason.

Yeah, there's something on the opposite end of the parabola of tie-in vida that Linkin Park’s Transformers songs are on. Funny thing is, “Ben” isn’t even Glover’s strangest music video. Not by a long shot.

You know, we might as well make this about Glover, himself, because the man’s whole career is one long invitation to the weird. See, odds are, you know him as George McFly from Back to the Future and I’ve always found it amusing that he’d be best-known for such a perennial crowd pleaser. He’s a self-described eccentric who’s struck me as having an odd bemusement with the mainstream until a real taste of that kind of success got him uncomfortable enough to rebel against it. Maybe that’s an excess of conjecture, there, but I can’t think of a better explanation for why the guy would choose to act in this particular manner while guesting on Letterman…

Seems like he’s on a bad trip, doesn’t it? Turns out, he was actually showing up as a character he was playing in the still-to-be-released indy flick, Rubin & Ed (and this was more than 20 years before Joaquin Phoenix’s own prank.) It’s actually hard to say which is the less… acceptable explanation, isn’t it? Oddly enough, as quirky as Willard might be, on other late nite shows, he’s described it and his roles in big movies like Charlie’s Angels as means to the end of him getting enough cash to make his really peculiar, personal projects like It is Fine. Everything is Fine!, a “murder mystery of the week” that stars a cerebral palsy victim. So go figure.

"I bet you could suck a golf ball through one of these, too."
"I bet you could suck a golf ball through one of these, too."

Check out some previous "Weirdies" below...

Filed under: Willard
12 Comments
MrPinkon July 9, 2011 at 7:40 p.m.

Definitely a movie that I can say was indeed predictable on many fronts but alas, simply having Crispin Glover in the movie, well, that was worth it for me when a friend suggested I watch it.

You also pointed out what so many seem not to realize concerning Glover's appearance on Letterman way back when, and hopefully that little ditty will be put to rest one day.

Glover's roles have defied logic for me, but I guess that is his appeal to some degree. Knowing he's done them for the reasons you explained, well that makes sense, but come on, every dude wants enough scratch to buy a meal at Red Lobster once in awhile!

Every time I think I have the eccentric market cornered, Glover is there to remind me, "No burrito, Amigo", because he's filled that enchilada with his own sour cream.

teh_destroyeron July 9, 2011 at 8:02 p.m.

I remember seeing a lot of poster s for this movie before it came out. Just never really cared to see it myself.

ScanCase moderator on July 9, 2011 at 10:49 p.m.

I actually saw this in theatre's. I don't remember much of it expect for the elevator scene (you know what i'm talking about if you've seen it). Other than that it pretty much confirms that Crispin Glover is bat shit fucking loco.

Lydian_Selon July 10, 2011 at 1:51 a.m.
Remember seeing the trailer for this movie a bunch & somewhere along the line sorta confused it for The Pianist because my young mind had trouble discerning between Crispin Glover and Adrien Brody.
Stahlbrandon July 10, 2011 at 5:15 a.m.

Wait.

You wrote a WtW that was mostly about Cripsin Glover, and you DID NOT link the trailer for "What Is It?"

Youtube will probably ask you for a login because of the age gating on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhtaI7SCvq0

This video may be an Unwelcome to Weird. Decide for yourself.

hanktherapperon July 10, 2011 at 12:38 p.m.
My favorite Crispin Glover moment was when he got the corkscrew in the eye in Friday the 13th: Part IV.
Daemonon July 10, 2011 at 2:20 p.m.
Although he is genuinely such an odd guy he sure is friendly as I remember running into him at the SD Comic-con when he was doing promotion for Willard and he was always happy to stand around and just chat with anybody about anything for great lengths of time -- I suppose rather like an uber nerd would when you bring up their favorite area of interest. Definitely a unique cookie but considering his father I suppose that shouldn't really come as a surprise.
Kraznoron July 10, 2011 at 7:54 p.m.

Actually heard him speak at length regarding his career and "It is Fine, Everything is fine!" earlier this year. Really interesting fellow, he is definitely at peace with the two very different halves of his career. He spoke about his experiences with the Charlie's Angels films and how he quite enjoyed it as they let him be as weird as he wanted to be.

TwoOneFiveon July 10, 2011 at 8:25 p.m.
He's a ridiculously good actor. He can play any kind of role, but he sticks to the creepy ones the most... because... he's really that creepy. 
Claudeon July 11, 2011 at 8:21 a.m.

I thought this movie sucked. Speaking of Crispin Glover though, I always wanted to see him in a David Lynch film. Sadly, never happened. I guess two weirds don't make a right.

heatDrive88on July 11, 2011 at 10:06 a.m.

I was hoping this was going to be an article on Fred Willard, but I'm happy about this piece as well.

PatVB moderator on July 12, 2011 at 12:07 p.m.

I really love this feature. It's cool to get to see the weirdest stuff Hollywood has to offer.

Dig Deeper into Willard

Remake of the 1971 film "Willard."

Edit/View the Wiki
Hit the Forums (1 Post)
Add/View Images (1 Image)
Watch Some Videos
Popular News
After Ted Sarandos, Will Hollywood ever be the same?

An interview with the man behind the content of Netflix reveals an interesting and passionate executive.
Community Showcase for May 20th

Batman is here this week to present to you your Community Showcase.

About Last Night: Game of Thrones: "Second Sons"

Marriage marriage is what brings us together today.
Xbox One Hopes to Change Your Entertainment Habits

Will the next set of consoles change the way we consume our media?
Disney/Lucasfilm Announce New Animated Star Wars Show

There won't be anymore clones but Disney wants to stay in the animated Star Wars arena.
Let’s Talk About Mad Men: “The Crash”

This episode had everything: comedy, drugs, mayhem, flashbacks, emotion—what more do you need?
This Wolverine Trailer Finally Feels Complete

A new Wolverine trailer reveals a more soulful and desperate Wolverine, which could be a good thing.
What To Watch for Tuesday May 21st

Not much on a Tuesday night but there is a season finale.

DVD/Blu-Ray Releases for May 21st

There may be a lot of Blu-Rays released but only a few you should really care about.
The Top 10 Vietnam War Movies

The Best List is here to run down the best films to capture the essence of the Vietnam war.
Disney/Lucasfilm Announce New Animated Star Wars Show

There won't be anymore clones but Disney wants to stay in the animated Star Wars arena.
Anchorman 2 Teaser

It isn't much but it is our first look at the returning characters of Anchorman 2.

What To Watch for Wednesday, May 22nd

Wednesday brings the thunder!
Badass Digest: 8 of the Best Fantasy Films

Devin is totally not drunk on mead as he runs down some of his favorite fantasy films.
After Ted Sarandos, Will Hollywood ever be the same?

An interview with the man behind the content of Netflix reveals an interesting and passionate executive.
Netflix Instant Update for May 23rd

There may not be a whole lot coming to Netflix, but there are some decent titles worth checking out.
Recent Reviews
help  |  terms and conditions  |  privacy  |  advertise  |  rss
Mandatory Network

Submissions can take several hours to be approved.

Save ChangesCancel