Woody Harrelson Blends Comedy and Pathos in ‘Wilson’

Sandra Miska

Woody Harrelson gets an opportunity to showcase a different side of himself in the comedy “Wilson.” Harrelson plays the title character, a middle-aged loner who has never gotten over his former wife, Pippi (Laura Dern), who left him 17 years earlier. Wilson also feels he lost out on his only chance to have a real family since Pippi also had an abortion. Following the death of his father and his only friends (Brett Gelman, Mary Lynn Rajskub) moving away, Wilson seeks companionship outside of his dog. He’s particularly interested in female friendship, and after a harebrained attempt at picking up a stressed out cat lady (Lauren Weedman), he ends up on a date with Alta (Margo Martindale). This doesn’t exactly turn out to be a love match either, but Alta introduces Wilson to the wonders of a smartphone and social media, which he uses to track down Pippi – despite his aversion to technology and constant grumbling about how computers are a waste of time.

Wilson finds Pippi living not too far from him, and although she has experimented with drugs and drinking, she has managed to pull herself together and is now working as a waitress. Since both Wilson and Pippi are incredibly lonely, they quickly rekindle their relationship, and that’s when Pippi drops the bombshell – she never had that abortion 17 years ago, but instead gave the baby up for adoption. Excited that there’s a piece of him out there in the world, Wilson finds his daughter, Claire (Isabella Amara), again with the help of the internet. While Pippi is hesitant to make a move, Wilson jumps feet-first into having a relationship with this goth teen, herself an outcast. Soon, though, everything comes crashing to a halt during a visit to Pippi’s disapproving upper-middle class sister, Polly (Cheryl Hines).

Despite some major setbacks, Wilson continues to grow as a person. This seems to be the overall message of the film: it’s never too late to change. Despite all the drama, “Wilson” is a funny film, as Wilson is the kind of person given to blurting out whatever he is thinking to whomever. For example, when he goes to drop off his beloved dog Peppers with his trusted pet-sitter, Shelly (Judy Greer), and discovers her new live-in boyfriend (Toussaint Morrison), his instinct is to ask how she can be sure the man isn’t a “crazy dog f*cker.” He also has a penchant for striking up conversations with strangers, even at non-social spots such as at the urinal in the men’s room. Surprisingly, after initial awkwardness and reluctance, the other person is usually won over by Wilson.

Harrelson is unlike he has never been before here, at times playing Wilson as a curmudgeon – while also being desperate for love, made evident in his attempts to have a relationship with Claire even after she betrays him. Dern is also on-point as Pippi, who, while not as ‘deep’ as Wilson, struggles to redeem herself and pull herself up by her bootstraps, constantly becoming frustrated whenever anyone makes reference to her wild past. “Why does everyone think I’m some sort of strung-out junkie?” she plaintively cries out at one point.

“Wilson” opens March 24 in select theaters.