Who in the hell is Crispin Glover? I bet that is
what some of you are wondering. From the trailer
to "Willard", they build him us as this huge
celebrity, but most of you are probably in the fog.
Actually, Crispin Glover is a fairly big celebrity, but
he just doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
Most of you will most likely remember him as Michael J.
Fox's dad George in "Back to the Future", the
geeky, comic addicted teenager in love with Lea
Thompson. "Willard" is a big departure
from that character.
Crispin Glover stars as Willard, a shy, and somewhat
unusual man, who is constantly pestered by his
co-workers. He fits the profile of the
stereotypical outcast and is ridiculed for doing so.
Early on, his elderly mother tells him that if he had a
stronger name, something other than Willard, that his
boss might not give him such a hard time. His boss
is played by the great character actor R. Lee Ermey.
Willard's only friend is a rat named Ben, and when one
of his 'other' friends is killed at work, Willard
decides to enact bloody revenge against his wrong doers.
How? Well, Willard can control the rats in the
neighborhood and get them to do his bidding. Enter
a slew of creepy and violent murders that are certainly
not for those of us who do not fancy rodents.
As WIllard, Crispin Glover manages to blend some of his
own personality traits with those popularized by Bruce
Davison in the 1971 version of the film, and much
inferior picture to this one. Glover is awkward
sometimes, but sometimes evil and as cold blooded as any
Hollywood villain. The cold and emotionless stare
he is able to produce is one of the scariest aspects of
the film, and it works extremely well. I don't
know who suggested Glover for the role, but they hit the
nail directly on the head with that casting call.
The one thing I did not like was the trailer for the
film. It builds "Willard" up to be some
dumb action packed horror film, when it is anything but.
This is a creepy, dramatic, and sometimes gore-filled horror
film that made me jump on several occasions.
Anyone who dislikes rodents will walk out of the theatre
or find themselves as uneasy as ever about their
particular affliction. It was about time Hollywood
made another creepy crawly picture, especially since
"Eight Legged Freaks" turned out to be pretty
decent.
Thanks to Crispin Glover and a very creepy storyline,
"Willard" manages to delight in a very unusual
manner. I enjoyed this film and I think most of
you will too--even those of you who saw the trailer and
made a pact that you would not see a film with a plot so
absurd. It is only absurd if you allow it to be.
This film opens on March 14 and I encourage masses of
you to go. Make it the number one film of the week
and give the horror genre another healthy shot of
adrenaline. If we keep doing that, by the time
"Freddy vs. Jason" emerges in August, it will
make more money than "Star Wars". Well,
maybe not that much, but you get the picture.
