Drillbit Taylor (2008)

Review Summary

Drillbit Taylor - At the moment it seems as if no major Hollywood studio will release a comedy without Judd Apatow’s name somewhere on the label. This is perhaps overdue vindication for a man who once languished making brilliant television shows that too few people wanted to watch, but it also carries risks of backlash and brand dilution. As an admirer, mostly, of Mr. Apatow’s oeuvre, I was inclined to believe that “Drillbit Taylor” was a cheap knockoff, that the producer credit Mr. Apatow receives at the beginning was akin to the Rolex insignia on the watch I bought for $20 on Canal Street a while back. But it makes more sense to think of this dumb little picture, with Mr. Apatow’s wife, Leslie Mann, in a supporting role, and Seth Rogen, one of his alter egos, sharing credit for story and screenplay, as part of the Apatow discount line. “You get what you pay for,” the tag line on the advertisement says. I saw it free, and I still feel cheated.

— A. O. Scott, The New York Times

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