Willard

Plot

A young man with an unusual connection with rats, uses them at his own sociopathic will.

Release Year: 2003

Rating: 6.1/10 (9,602 voted)

Critic's Score: 61/100

Director:
Glen Morgan

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

Storyline
This is the story of Willard Stiles who is a social misfit taking care of his ill and fragile but verbally abusive mother Henrietta in a musty old mansion that is also home to a colony of rats. Willard then finds himself constantly humiliated in front of his co-workers and is eventually fired by his cruel and uncaring boss, Mr. Frank Martin, a vicious man whose professional interest in Willard extends to a personal financial one.

Writers: Glen Morgan, Gilbert Ralston

Cast:

Crispin Glover
–

Willard

R. Lee Ermey
–

Mr. Martin

Laura Harring
–

Cathryn

(as Laura Elena Harring)

Jackie Burroughs
–

Mrs. Stiles

Ashlyn Gere
–

Ms. Leach

(as Kimberly Patton)

William S. Taylor
–

Mr. Garter

Edward Horn
–

Colquitt

Gus Lynch
–

George Foxx

Laara Sadiq
–

Janice Mantis

David Parker
–

Detective Boxer

Ty Olsson
–

Officer Salmon

Taglines:
A new breed of friendship

Details

Official Website:
New Line Cinema [United States] |

Release Date: 14 March 2003

Filming Locations: Lion's Gate Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $22,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $4,010,593
(USA)
(16 March 2003)
(1761 Screens)

Gross: $6,852,144
(USA)
(6 April 2003)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

USA: 100 min
 |
UK: 96 min
(DVD)

Did You Know?

Trivia:

All of the photos in the house of Willard's father, Martin Stiles, are of actor Bruce Davison, who played the part of Willard in the original movie (
Willard).

Goofs:

Continuity:
Willard lays out some glue strips to catch the mice. A mouse steps on one and gets stuck. When Willard first sees it, the mouse is only glued on the bottom 3/4 of its body. Its front legs are free and it is crawling away with its belly and lower legs flattened onto the strip. Then Willard decides to save it. In the next shot of the mouse, all four feet are on the glue strip with its belly raised up. It is also in the center of the glue strip whereas before it was hanging off one end of it.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Willard's Mother:
Willard! There are rats in the basement!

User Review

Good Film, Great Performance

Rating: 10/10

Before you let the advertising fool you, understand that "Willard" isn't
exactly your normal horror flick. I know that the marketing people tried
to
put all the scary bits into the trailer and such, but I urge you to
reconsider your views on it.

The movie itself is more of an in-depth character study. It follows the
events that lead one man into the pits of insanity, taking you along for
the
ride. Forget "Psycho," (Which was an awesome film in its own right) though
the movie does have Norman Bates/Hitchcock elements. We're taken from
lonely, shy, and sad, to hollering, glaring, weeping, and finally, silent.
Only one man was tailor-made for this role…and that man was Mr. Glover.

Through every blink, every wide-eyed stare, the audience is drawn into the
character. We believe in his connection with the rats, and marvel at his
ability to train them. And when he gets even with Mr. Martin, we
celebrate.

And I loved the undoubted sexual frustration that Willard is feeling. It's
more apparent in one of the deleted scenes on the DVD. But the writer
didn't
succumb to this frustration; he let it build.

All of this combines to form one of the greatest character movies I have
ever seen, and probably will ever see. I must say that this is one movie I
will not soon forget…