Stars: Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey, Laura Harring, Jackie Burroughs

Director: Glen Morgan

Summary: Willard doesn't fit into society and things come to a head when he is pushed out of his job with a company started by his late father. His only friends are a couple of rats and when one is killed at work Willard decides to seek revenge by using more rats to attack those who have made his life hell...

Glen Morgan's WILLARD stars Crispin Glover in the title role as a socially awkward loner who lives with his ailing mother (Jackie Burroughs) in a decrepit old house. Trapped between duties at home and working at a dreary company formerly owned by his deceased father, Willard leads a bleak and routine existence until he befriends Socrates, an albino rat living in the basement. This new friendship leads to an affinity for the ever-growing rodent population under his house, and soon Willard discovers the rats will do anything he tells them. When Willard is pushed too far by his bullying boss (R. Lee Ermey), he decides to use his four-legged companions to get revenge.
A perfect pairing of actor and character, Glover is ideal as Willard in this Burton-esque remake of the 1971 cult horror film. Widely known as an introvert and eccentric in real life, Glover expertly transfers his quirks to Willard in a giddily affected performance that ranges from subdued to outraged. Ermey (of FULL METAL JACKET) and Laura Elena Harring (of MULHOLLAND DRIVE) provide excellent support as his dictatorial boss and concerned colleague, respectively, but the true co-stars of this thriller are two rodents, the affectionate Socrates and the imposing, cat-sized Ben. Although some of the rat scenes are rendered with animatronics or CGI animation, the majority of Glover's scenes with Socrates and Ben involve real animal actors who convey distinct personalities and factor heavily into the story. The clever and darkly comic script even manages to bring in an element of the original film by featuring photos and paintings of Bruce Davison, star of the earlier film, as Willard's dead father. And be sure to listen for both a young Michael Jackson and Glover himself singing WILLARD's adopted theme song, "Ben."

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on March 29, 2006 2:04 PM

For years , Willard Stiles ( Crispin Glover ) has been trapped in a dead end job with no friends and no future . Willard's life seems hopeless until he makes an eerie discovery :
He shares a powerful bond with the rats that dwell in his basement .
Now a guy who has been trampled in the rat - race his entire life is suddenly ready to tear up the competition ... beginning with his boss.
Crispin Glover leads the pack in this skin - crawling thriller that takes an unforgetable journey into the mind of a madman . Includes a 'Ben' music video .

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

A classic fable gets fused with War of the Worldsin Disney's Chicken Little. In the small town of Oakey Oaks, young Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff, Garden State) struggles to live down the embarrassment of having once thought the sky was falling. But when he gets struck again by a hexagonal, sky-camouflaged, hi-tech doohickey, he and his friends Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack, School of Rock), Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn, Sahara), and Fish Out of Water discover that aliens are preparing to invade Earth--but since no one believed Chicken Little the first time, why would they believe him now? Though kids will enjoy the bright whizz-bang action sequences of Chicken Little, discerning parents will find the movie tedious. Technically, it has the computer animation quality of Pixar--but with none of their intelligence, heart, or simple storytelling skill. The basic idea of connecting the fable to aliens is amusing, but the script routinely bogs down in clumsy father-son issues that seem like material edited out of Finding Nemo. The jokes rarely have anything to do with the characters, but are mostly pop-culture references that are sadly out of date. The action sequences were obviously created with the inevitable video game in mind, for which the movie is little more than an advertisement. Chicken Littlefalls flat. --Bret Fetzer

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Full Length Filmmakers Commentary, Behind The Scenes Documentary, Real Rat Documentary, Music Video Ben By Crispin Hellion Glover With Optional Artist Commentary, Deleted And Alternate Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2003
Release Date:	September 27, 2004
Runtime:	96 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9201
Label:	New Line Cinema
Keywords:	General, Willard, Horror, Occult, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Horror/Occult