Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and the greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of fame, fortune and popularity, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.
World's Greatest Dad is a sharp, darkly comic gem anchored by one of Robin Williams' most restrained and genuine performances. The premise — a failed writer-teacher who fabricates a poetic suicide note for his obnoxious son, only to watch it go viral and transform the dead boy into a cult figure — is wickedly original and executed with real nerve. Williams brings surprising pathos and moral complexity to Lance, navigating the film's tonal tightrope between satire and genuine grief. The cinematography is functional at best, unremarkable indie work that neither enhances nor detracts. The ending, while cathartic, leans slightly into conventional redemption territory after the film's braver earlier choices. Bobcat Goldthwait's script is a genuine outlier — a film that dismantles grief culture, artistic pretension, and adolescent mythology with genuine wit and a dark heart.