Willard (2003 film)

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Willard

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Glen Morgan
Produced by Glen Morgan
James Wong
Toby Emmerich
Written by Stephen Gilbert
Glen Morgan
Starring Crispin Glover
R. Lee Ermey
Laura Elena Harring
Jackie Burroughs
Music by Shirley Walker
Cinematography Robert McLachlan
Editing by James Coblentz
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date(s) March 14, 2003
Running time 100 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $20 million
Gross revenue $8,546,666
Preceded by Ben (1972)

Willard is a 2003 horror film loosely based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert and a remake of the 1971 film of the same name. It was not billed as a remake 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 (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 by his cruel boss, Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey), a vicious man who assumed control of Willard's father's company upon his death, and whose professional interest in Willard extends to a personal financial one. A co-worker, Cathryn (Laura Elena Harring), has sympathy for the quirky Willard[2]. Despite that, Cathryn becomes Willard's friend and also love interest.

Meanwhile, Willard quickly becomes obsessed with his friendship with a rat he names Socrates. Willard then begins to train and befriend the other rats including an extra large one he calls Ben. Ben begins to assume a position of "leadership" among the other rats, while Socrates remains Willard's favorite. Willard's mother panics when she overhears the rats and later dies by falling down the stairs of the basement. Willard learns soon afterward that payments on the house have fallen far behind, and that the bank will likely foreclose upon the property. Willard then says that Socrates is all he has left.

Cathryn stops by and gives Willard a cat named Sculley, he sets the cat inside and leaves. The rats, led by Ben, attack and kill Sculley soon after it arrives.

When Willard arrives home he notices Ben watching him evilly; Willard begins to distrust Ben thereafter. Desperately lonely, Willard begins to bring Socrates to work with him. Willard finds a note at his desk declaring that he's being fired by Frank Martin from the company his father founded. While he's arguing with Martin, begging not to be fired, Socrates is discovered by a coworker in the supply room. She screams, and Martin bludgeons Socrates to death. Willard, his mental state already precarious, is devastated. Willard turns to Ben, who is more than willing to guide the army of basement rats to help Willard avenge himself upon his slave-driving boss. Willard and his basement rats confront Martin, and upon Willard's command they swarm Martin and tear him apart.

Willard, however, mistrusts Ben and attempts to dispose of him and the other rats. He succeeds in killing some, but Ben remains, and turns the remaining rat army against Willard. Willard barely escapes with his life, and kills Ben. But an epilogue reveals that he has retreated into a semi-catatonic state and been placed in a mental institution. There he finds a new white rat, which looks like Socrates and he believes is a rebirth of his one friend. In the end Willard beckons the rat over to him and says "It's not over yet, no! Our time is going to come."

[edit] Cast

  • Crispin Glover as Willard Stiles: An antisocial worker for Martin-Stiles Manufacturing. A business originally started by his father but was "stolen" by Frank Martin. Willard is constantly tormented by his boss and his beloved mother. He befriends a colony of rats, especially a white rat named Socrates and a big rat named Ben. When his torment finally makes Willard vengeful, he uses his rats to get revenge, transforming into a sociopath.
  • R. Lee Ermey as Frank Martin: A cruel and uncaring CEO of Martin-Stiles Manufacturing. He constantly humiliates Willard for his late arrivals at work and even kills his pet rat Socrates. He is eventually eaten alive by Willard's rats.
  • Laura Elena Harring as Cathryn: A co-worker and love interest of Willard who sympathizes with him until she realizes his involvement in Martin's murder.
  • Jackie Burroughs as Henrietta Stiles: Willard's ill yet verbally abusive mother who even calls him "Clark" since she hates his real name.
  • Kimberly Patton as Ms. Leach: A cynical secretary for Frank Martin.
  • William S. Taylor as Mr. Garter: A trustee of the Stiles estate who informs Willard of dire financial straits after Willard's mother dies.
  • Ty Olsson as Officer Salmon: A policeman who discovers Willard is "nuts."

[edit] Trivia

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008)

"Ben" By Michael Jackson is again featured in this movie (his song was first used in the 1972 film of the same name). The framed picture of Willard's father is a picture of Bruce Davison, who played Willard in the 1971 film of the same name.

The 2004 DVD includes two alternate endings:

  • The original ending concludes with a pan from the outside of the house up to an illuminated opaque window of the library. After a moment, Ben's silhouette appears in the window, nursing its paw. The film then fades to black and ends, implying Willard's death.
  • The extended new ending includes additional footage in the asylum. A female psychiatrist sums up her diagnosis from outside Willard's cell. Standing next to her is Mr. Garter from the bank who asks her to sign a document which puts him in charge of Willard's possessions, i.e. his house. In the cell, Willard's soothing words to his white visitor are intercut with a shot where he looks at Mr. Garter and the psychiatrist through the bull's eye of his cell door.
  • Ben is played by a Gambian pouched rat, a species native to Africa. In 2003, import of these animals into the United States was banned.
  • The movie has a score of 61 out of 100 by Metacritic,[3] and a 64% from all reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes,[4] it grossed $6,886,089 in domestic box office and $1,660,577 in foreign box office.
  • In the original movie, Willard is attacked and killed at the end. In this version, he survives and kills Ben.

[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

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.willardmovie.com/movie_story.html Willard Official Movie Site
  2. ^ Fall Frights: WILLARD (Film Review)
  3. ^ "Willard reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/willard?q=willard. Retrieved 2009-07-20. 
  4. ^ "Willard Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/willard/. Retrieved 2009-07-20. 

[edit] External links

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