Drillbit Taylor plays way too safe to be associated with producer Judd Apatow's success in the realm of bawdy comedy. Talladega Nights, Superbad, and Knocked Up certainly seem to indicate that whatever Apatow touches turns into comic gold. But his ascent up the ladder of success hasn't been without missteps, the latest of which is this curiously sanitized movie starring Owen Wilson.  

It's the first day of high school for gangly Wade (Nate Hartley), husky Ryan (Troy Gentile), and uber-nerd Emmit (David Dorfman). However, the minute they step indoors, the boys become targets of resident bully Filkins (Alex Frost). After suffering humiliation after humiliation at the upperclassman's hands, they decide to hire someone to defend them. Potential candidates turn out to be too pricey -- until out from the group emerges the right guy for the job: Drillbit Taylor (Wilson), a former Army Ranger turned deadbeat bum who patrols the highway for spare change and dumpster dives on a daily basis. Initially taking the job to milk the kids for all their worth, Drillbit's mind changes once he witnesses Filkins' torments firsthand, and he becomes determined to teach the kids to stand up for themselves once and for all.

If you pick up on a certain stench of familiarity emanating from Drillbit Taylor, you're not alone. The story was co-written by none other than John Hughes (under a pseudonym here), once the king of teen flicks but now slumming about in such projects as Maid in Manhattan. Drillbit Taylor feels too much like it was made to pad out a studio's schedule, a quickie comedy churned out fast enough for an easy profit based on the strength of its cast and crew. The flick certainly seemed promising to start, what with Superbad scribe Seth Rogen sharing writing duties and the likable Wilson headlining. But rather than tread the path of Superbad and create characters you can identify with, Drillbit Taylor over-simplifies things to a fault. The kids are hollow stereotypes more than anything (the loud fat kid, the shy skinny kid, the "McLovin" type who out-geeks them all), and Filkins' attacks on his victims are so brutal, you're almost forced to sympathize with them on principle alone.

In general, Drillbit Taylor doesn't offer much in the way of laughs. A running gag shows Drillbit being  more a good-natured slacker (so, yeah, perfect part for Owen Wilson) than a take-charge warrior, so his advice to the kids who hire him involves randomly traipsing through the woods rather than teaching them to actually defend themselves. That comedic well runs dry fast. It also doesn't help when -- for a good portion of the movie -- Drillbit only helps the kids in order to bilk them out of as much cash as possible. So much for sympathy there. I guess the ways the kids are tormented are meant to be seen in a comedic light, but once again, these moments depict the teens as pathetic more than as lovable losers. As for Wilson, although shackled by such a bland script, he plays Drillbit to the best of his abilities.  

I admit Drillbit Taylor is far from a bad flick. Still, like the recent Charlie Bartlett, it seems content to be just entertaining enough not to make the time spent watching it a total bust. 

MY RATING: ** (out of ****)

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated "PG-13" for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity.)