mr. woodcock

Despite rigid pretensions, Mr. Woodcock's hasty climax might leave fans slightly less than satisfied.

The latest of this season's "deeper" comedies, Mr. Woodcock offers audiences a twisted morality tale about an ex-fat kid John Farley (Sean William Scott) forced to face his fascist former gym teacher (Billy Bob Thorton). And what's worse than reliving every oddly shaped sixth grader's version of Hell? Finding out that Satan is doing your mom. But Farley's real predicament, and the obligatory deeper meaning, is that Satan isn't actually that bad a guy... once you get to know him.

The story is an exercise in dramatic irony. Every new plot point can be seen a mile off by everyone except Farley, although with Ethan Supless (My Name is Earl) as the primary voice of reason-an unlikelier, shabbier Jiminy Cricket there has never been-who could blame him. John gradually falls from grace as he becomes more and more obsessed with blocking Woodcock-to the enjoyment of the audience and with a healthy amount of raunch-ridden hilarity.

This formula works well for a spell, creating a dramatic tension that enhances the jokes and jabs between Farley and Woodcock. Before too long, however, many audience members will start to long for a twist, or at least a respite from the predictability-and they won't find it.

The film's biggest drawback is its rushed and routine finale. A shame, it feels as if the producers ran out of stamina just a couple minutes too soon.

Although flaccid in the end, Woodcock is full of flavor, awkward in all the right places and just might be worth the ride... that's what she said.