Willard (2003 film)
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Willard | |
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Willard film poster |
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Directed by | Glen Morgan |
Produced by | Glen Morgan |
Written by | Gilbert Ralston Glen Morgan |
Starring | Crispin Glover R. Lee Ermey Laura Harring |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date(s) | 14 March 2003 (USA) |
Running time | 100 min. |
Country | USA |
Language | English |
Budget | US$22,000,000 |
IMDb profile |
Willard is a 2003 film loosely based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Gilbert Ralston and the 1971 film Willard. It was not billed as a sequel by the producers, but as a re-working of the themes from the original, with a stronger focus on suspense.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Willard Stiles (played by Crispin Glover) is a social misfit taking care of his ill and fragile but verbally abusive mother Henrietta (Jackie Burroughs) in a musty old mansion that is also home to a colony of rats. Willard finds himself constantly humiliated in front of his co-workers and is eventually fired by his cruel and uncaring boss, Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey), a vicious man whose professional interest in Willard extends to a personal financial one. A co-worker Cathryn (Laura Harring) has feelings for the quirky Willard. Meanwhile, Willard quickly becomes obsessed with his friendship with a rat he names Socrates. Socrates has competition with a much larger rat named Ben. Nonetheless when Socrates is killed, Ben is more than willing to guide the army of basement rats to help Willard avenge himself upon his slave-driving boss, who has even more devious intentions to inflict on Willard, after firing him.
[edit] Themes
Whether the filmmakers intended it to or not, Willard makes a statement about coping with negative emotions. The rats symbolize Willard's anger and discontent, and as Martin's abuse goes further, Willard becomes more angry and the rats increase in number. Eventually, the rats are in their thousands, and, like Willard's rage, become difficult to control.
[edit] Awards
- Crispin Glover was nominated for Best Actor at the 2004 Saturn Awards for Willard.
- Robert McLachlan won the CSC award at the Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature for Willard.
- The DVD release of Willard was nominated for a Golden Satellite award in Best DVD Extras at the 2004 Satellite Awards.
[edit] See also
- Willard (1971)
- Ben (1972)
- List of fictional mice and rats
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.willardmovie.com/movie_story.html Willard Official Movie Site
[edit] External links
Television and film works by James Wong and Glen Morgan |
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The X-Files • Space: Above and Beyond • Millennium • Final Destination series • The One • Willard • Black Christmas |