Willard (2003)

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

Director:

Glen Morgan

Writers:

Glen Morgan (screenplay), Gilbert Ralston

Stars:

Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey, Laura Harring

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

rat | killing a pet | revenge | work | at work | 

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Taglines:

When the cat's away, the rats will play.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vingança de Willard

Filming Locations:

Lion's Gate Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,010,593, 16 March 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,886,089

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,546,666

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema,Hard Eight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Cathryn was written for director Glen Morgan's wife Kristen Cloke. Cloke got pregnant and had to withdraw. She played a small role as a psychiatrist, though. That scene was cut during post-production, but can be seen on the DVD-release.

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Goofs

The gender of the two main rats, Socrates and Ben change through out the film. In some scenes the rats are male and in others they are female.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Willard's Mother: Willard! There are rats in the basement!

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Crazy Credits

Second Unit Chef Dave Carlson's credit is listed as: Cater to the Stars...DAVID CARLSON

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Alice in Wonderland (2014)

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Soundtracks

Ben
Written by Walter Scharf and Don Black
Performed by Jackson 5
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Beautiful

OK, it took me a long time, but better late than never. So, the main reason why most people didn't liked it, because it was not a horror film. So what? If you can understand that it's not a horror, then why don't you watch it wherever you think it is? "Willard" is an absolutely beautiful movie. I couldn't believe how atmospheric it was. I didn't expected much from the movie, esp. I was worried about CGI rats, but I wanted to see it for Crispin Glover. And the moment I've heard the music score I knew it is going to be something special. I don't think that it is weird movie at any point. It was beautiful movie. This is probably the word that describes it best. It may sound stupid, but I know that I have a good taste in movies. *coughs* That's why I can say that "Willard" is definitely one of the best recent movies and I can tell that it is not just personal opinion, it is one of the best movies. If it is a bad movie, then what do you consider a good movie?.. OK, it worked just because of Crispin Glover. He glued everything together. Without him it would be stupid and pointless. But he makes the concept believable. It should of get a few Oscar nomination, that's for sure, but no one surprised that it didn't. The music score was really outstanding, gave it a real feeling, kudos to composer. Definitely deserves an Oscar nom. The production design as well. Superb atmosphere. CGI was great! It was a real surprise and delight to see that CGI is great. Glen Morgan, he did such a great job. He had some small mistakes, but he is way much more superior than today's directors. It still hard to say about his style, because there is a lot of Hitchcock in him, but he did a great job in "Willard" without doubt. Kudos! Now, the acting. What can I say about Crispin Glover? He is a genius! An absolutely amazing genius! The Academy is just an ass, but it is not surprise. But he definitely deserves an Oscar, he owns it, it is THE best performance of 2003! He scared me to death, in good way. He has so much emotion in him, I couldn't believe how amazing his performance is! I have no right words to give him a credit. I'm just speechless… R. Lee Ermey, I like him a lot. He is one of my favorites too. Such a fun man. Kudos to you, R. Lee Ermey! Jackie Barroughs…creepy! In a good way, she did a great job, she really is! I mean, without her scary mother the movie wouldn't be the same! Laura Harring, I like her too, she was great in "Mullholand Drive". I know some people say that she was completely wasted and they right, but she still was a nice touch. I mean, it is always nice to look at her, she has that good quality about her. I don't know, but maybe she regret that she wasted her time here, but if I could I would say to her, that I think it's better to be a part of this labor of love, than some crappy Hollywood s***. If you watch deleted scenes on DVD it doesn't seem like she is wasted at all. And, the end. I like the new ending better, because it gives you to think about more, the old ending, IMHO, is quite pointless. So, to end the review. It is a masterpiece on its own right. It is an absolutely beautiful movie. So sensitive, so atmospheric, so emotional. My eyes were just glued to the screen. I know that Glen Morgan feels bad about the movie's failure, but he shouldn't, it was not his fault! It IS a great movie! When it ended I hoped that the teenagers will love it (I'm a teenager, myself), because the studio target at them, I hoped that this beautiful movie will be an exception, when they gonna love it for not being a usual stupid movies. But when they didn't, I just realized that some people will always be stupid no matter what. Well, their loss. It is one of my favorites. It is a deep, emotional movie. I'm sure Crispin Glover would be happy to know that "Willard" makes people think. It really is, esp. about human condition. I thought a lot about this movie and I'm not the only one. I recommend it highly. Definitely 10/10.