It's BAD SANTA meets any Will Ferrell sports movie. Which means it's Billy Bob Thornton in a comedy that really sucks. In MR. WOODCOCK, Thornton is psychopathic phys-ed coach, Mr. Woodcock, who persecutes his schoolboy charges like a drill instructor, hurling insults and basketballs at them, stepping on them, making them do laps until they collapse - you know, like your old phys-ed coach from school.<br /><br />My recollection of the name "Woodcock" is from BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) - Paul Newman, trying to convince the Union Pacific Railroad guy to open the train door so the gang won't have to use explosives, flippantly pronouncing the name with that edge of dirtiness, "Hey, Woodcock! You can't want to get blown up again!" There is more humor in that one line from BUTCH CASSIDY than there is in all 87 minutes of this quarter-brain comedy.<br /><br />A nerd who is bullied by Mr. Woodcock, grows up to be insufferable Seann William Scott, who leaves his small town and returns as a successful author, having channeled all his angst and repression into self-help books. To his horror, he discovers that his mother is dating Mr. Woodcock. Susan Sarandon plays Scott's airhead boiler mother, sleepwalking through the role while Tim Robbins wasn't looking.<br /><br />Attempted hilarity ensues.<br /><br />This is Craig Gillespie's second directorial effort. It shows. This is writers Michael Carnes' and Josh Gilbert's first writing effort. We can tell. Amy Poehler nearly steals the show. It wasn't that hard to do.<br /><br />I swear if Seann William Scott makes that stupid face again, I'm going to scream. Oh, that's just his face...