Fat Kid Rules the World

I was pleasantly surprised after viewing Fat Kid... I too grew up chubby and withdrawn. I was attracted to characters like Marcus in my own life. Matt O'Leary plays a high powered, reckless poetic and tragic figure. A real hustler, and user of people. Jacob Wysoki who plays the part of Troy,is an excellent actor. He says so much with facial expressions, and he seems naive, but genuine.

I grew up playing Rock music, it became my career and I have no regrets. I only wish I had the kind of love and support Troys character enjoyed. The father ,played by Billy Campbell was so understanding, and nurturing. Obviously making up for the lack of a mother in the home.

I recommend this sweet and positive film. They are so rare and hard to come by. It was sentimental without being sappy.

I haven't yet seen this yet, but in response to the review on Mathew Lillard, I did not realize people got beef with him. I think he's a great actor and all the friends I've known throughout life, has nothing but positive stuff to say about him. Of course, this was the 90s and I was a teenager at the time. I first discovered him in the movie Scream and I did enjoy him and the movie a lot! Once again, I was a teenager and this was the mid-90s. Then again, I thought he was AMAZING in SLC Punk. That used to be one of my favorite films when it came out and its been years since I've seen it. Then my bf and I watched it a few months ago, and its been forever... I forgot how well-written that film was and Lillard's performance was perfect! The only reason I would think anyone has issues with that guy is because he's not a mainstream actor and he lost his popularity in the 90s. And we all know how 'uncool' it is to like 90s actors. The only 90s actor who became popular, years after his time, is Paul Rudd. =]

Troy is an obese lonely video-gamer loser in school. He lives with his father (Billy Campbell) and brother. He tries to kill himself by stepping in front of a bus and he's saved by Marcus. Marcus is an unreliable homeless school drop-out guitarist. Even his bandmates have kicked him out. Marcus starts using Troy for a place to stay and food to eat while claiming to start a band with him. Troy maintains his friendship with Marcus despite his father's reservations. Troy is a hormonal teen in love with Marcus' friend Isabelle (Lili Simmons).

Marcus is really annoying at the beginning. It takes a long time before he shows any signs of passing friendship with Troy. He does grow as a character and the friendship becomes more. Troy is a really passive person but he also grows too. The father is interesting because he's not yet another clueless adult in a teen movie. It's a slow start but it gets better. It's pretty good work for Matthew Lillard's directorial debut.

First, let me say, congratulations to Jacob Wysocki for a wonderful performance in FKRtW. His Bath Boys history on YouTube has allowed for many doors to open -- and luckily for us, this is one of the doors that opens and reveals his talents.

When it comes to the story, I was absolutely engaged and excited to experience that trials and tribulations of Troy, even if sometimes they weren't pretty or euphoric, whereas Matt O'Leary I felt as miscast. His struggles weren't believable and I felt almost took away from overall story. It was almost as if the actor was trying to glorify Matthew Lillard's (who also directed) performance in Scream.

If it weren't for Mr. Wysocki or Billy Campbell (who plays the role of Troy's father brilliantly) or even the small role of Dayle (played by Dylan Arnold) then this would've been a huge miss.

Overall, the movie was fantastic. However, due the a very cheesy ending, this otherwise 9/10 film gets 7/10 from me.

I'll always think of Matthew Lillard as Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo movies of my childhood and that laid back personality seems to be fed into his hard work too. Fat Kid Rules The World is a real indie treat. Although it takes on the tired high school archetype (not alone in freshening it up with the delightful 21 Jump Street this year), it's about the characters as people, not as stereotypes. It's the protagonist Troy, played by Jacob Wysocki, who makes the journey worthwhile. He's wonderfully relatable in his self-deprecating fantasies and bursts of teenage horniness. Here he finds not only direction in life but someone to share it with too. It's a great feel-good archetype that this film really makes work with its great soundtrack and sense of humour. Although perhaps Matt O'Leary's Marcus feels a little too contrived in his role to fit in the Kurt Cobain grunge rocker who throws far too much kindness onto Troy than is believable, the film otherwise makes great use of its side characters, particularly Troy's father, the army type with surprising compassion. Unfortunately the film suffers from indie cinema traits of flat cinematography and lighting which does weigh the film down quite a bit but otherwise it's one of the most watchable films of the year.

7/10