neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Willard
	Glen Morgan Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey, Laura Elena Harring 2003		Rats! (Lots of them...) It's "Willard," again. Directed by Glen Morgan ("Final Destination"), this is a campy remake of the creepy 1971 horror film about an awkward loser who only finds comfort in a pet rat and exacts revenge on his tormentors through his command over the rodent population. Willard — a slave to his aged, infirm mama and abused by his heartless boss — is played in the new version by Crispin Glover ("Charlie's Angels"), the quintessential Hollywood weirdo. It's inspired casting, even if Glover already did the office-misfit-on-the-verge-of-cracking in "Bartleby." His Willard comes off like an apoplectic cousin to poor schizoid Norman Bates of "Psycho." Willard's mother is as whining and needy as Norman's must've been. With an overbearing boss (R. Lee Ermey), Willard is driven over the brink. Willard's only human friend, co-worker Cathryn (Laura Elena Harring), can't stop the carnage. Once Willard realizes that the rats in his basement will do his bidding, it's inevitable that a legion of computer-generated vermin will be unleashed as punishment. Glover and a scene-stealing cat make this good for some laughs. That's about all.