WORLD'S GREATEST DAD

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Apart from the inane synergism of a moment that decrees that there be ten films with the number nine in their title, the dog days of August finds us with a collective running theme about literary frauds finding happiness, or at least inner peace.

Witness John Hindman's pathetic "The Answer Man" and Bobcat Goldthwait's surly "World's Greatest Dad." Robin Williams plays put-upon divorced father/teacher/failed writer Lance Clayton, whose porn-obsessed teenage son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is a student at the high school where Lance teaches poetry.

Kyle revels in his self-asphyxiation masturbation habit. Autoeroticism provides a (too) long-delayed inciting incident in which Lance finally gets published, albeit under a misleading pseudonym. Lazy music-video montage sequences try to pass for plot development as the poor audience is inundated with more unlikable characters than there are corrupt politicians.

To call "World's Greatest Dad" a cynical and mean-spirited black comedy is to give too much credit to a sad piece of exploitation cinema.

This cinematic insult barely manages to spit out its theme: that most people are idiotic leeches merely attempting to leverage a meaningful existence from others' misfortunes.

(Magnolia Pictures) Rated R. 99 mins.