World's Greatest Dad (2009) on Netflix
Lance Clayton teaches poetry at the high school his son Kyle attends. Kyle dies in a humiliating accident, and Lance stages the death as a suicide to salvage his son's dignity.
- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb6.8/1042,520 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes88%
Trailer
Plot summary
Lance Clayton once hoped to become a famous writer. Publishers have rejected his novels, and he now teaches an unpopular poetry class at a high school. His fifteen-year-old son Kyle, a misanthrope, is a student at the same school. Kyle's poor schoolwork and vile behavior draw the principal's attention, and the principal advises Lance to transfer the boy to a special-needs school. Lance is dating Claire, a fellow teacher who will not acknowledge their relationship publicly or get serious, and who has shown interest in Mike, a younger colleague. Kyle then dies in an accident in his bedroom, and Lance hangs the body in a closet and leaves a note in his son's name, passing the death off as a suicide.
Cast
- Evan Martinas Andrew
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Seattle resident and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has a wordless cameo in the film, consoling Robin Williams's character at a newspaper stand; director Bobcat Goldthwait had previously been an opening act for Nirvana.
- In later years, the plot of World's Greatest Dad has been compared to the 2015 stage musical Dear Evan Hansen, since both share a premise of a suicide note landing in the wrong hands and setting off a chain of events.
