Watch World's Greatest Dad: Featurette

World's Greatest Dad is a dark comedy movie released in 2009 starring Robin Williams as Lance Clayton, a struggling writer and high school poetry teacher. The movie was written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. The movie revolves around Lance Clayton's life as a single father to his awkward and unpopular son, Kyle. Kyle is a socially inept teenager who lives in a world of his own, obsessively masturbating to pictures of girls he knows and making tasteless jokes.

Despite his son's shortcomings, Lance continues to support him and tries his best to build a healthy relationship. However, one day, Kyle dies in a freak accident while initiating autoerotic asphyxiation in his bedroom. Devastated by his son's death, Lance decides to cover up the true cause of his son's death and make his death look like a suicide.

To do this, Lance writes a suicide note for his son and pretends that his son had taken his own life. The note becomes an instant sensation, and Kyle's schoolmates and even his father's colleagues start appreciating him for his supposed talent and sensitive nature. The newfound appreciation and respect for Lance make him realize that he is never going to get a better opportunity to fulfill his writing ambitions.

As Lance becomes obsessed with maintaining the fake persona that he has created for his son, he soon realizes that he is becoming increasingly distant from reality. He starts living a double life, pretending to be a grieving father in the day and reveling in the newfound fame at night.

However, the facade begins to crumble when one of Kyle's former classmates finds a journal that reveals the true nature of Kyle's personality, exposing his son's secret hobbies, thoughts, and fantasies. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Lance decides to come clean in a public confession that spirals out of control.

World's Greatest Dad is a satirical take on the American obsession with fame, success, and the need to hide one's true nature behind a facade. The movie takes a darkly humorous look at the lengths one would go to achieve societal acceptance, even if it means losing touch with reality.

As Lance's character progresses, the movie explores several themes like moral ambiguity, grief, guilt, authenticity, and emotional manipulation. It portrays Lance as a flawed character who is struggling with personal demons and a sense of failure, haunted by the realization that he has not achieved his dreams.

Robin Williams' portrayal of Lance Clayton is one of the highlights of the movie. His character undergoes a transformation from a downtrodden, mediocre writer to a respected, celebrated author whose words have a profound impact on his audience. Williams' performance successfully captures the essence of a man struggling with grief, guilt, and societal expectations.

World's Greatest Dad offers a unique take on the conventional father-son relationship, exploring the complexities that come with raising a teenager who is struggling with his identity. It offers poignant moments of humor and tragedy, showcasing the nuances that come with navigating life's challenges.

The storyline is well-structured, and the pacing is excellent, keeping the audience engaged and invested in the story. The supporting cast, including Daryl Sabara as Kyle Clayton and Alexie Gilmore as Lance's romantic interest, also delivers strong performances.

Overall, World's Greatest Dad is an engaging movie that breaks away from the conventional tropes of comedy movies. It presents a thought-provoking commentary on modern-day life, offering a glimpse into the unbearable weight of grief, mortality, and societal expectation.