Movie characters don't have to be liked as long as they are textured and have depth. I can't say that for any character in Daniel Clowes' Wilson. Misanthropes like Wilson are common in American cinema (such as Paul Giamatti in American Graphitti or Steve Buscemi in Ghost World), but at least those characters are well developed. Unlike Wilson who doesn't understand his purpose. While Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern are having a blast playing two outspoken, boundless outcast, watching the film is like nails on a chalkboard.

Wilson (Woody Harrelson) is an awkward, lonely man looking for companionship from just about anyone. The problem is Wilson has trouble understanding and respecting boundaries and social cues. When his father passes away, he yearns to reconnect with his drug addicted ex-wife Pippi (Laura Dern). After learning her whereabouts, Wilson discovers he has a daughter, Claire (Isabella Amara), who was given up for adoption. Together, Wilson and Pippi search for the girl and find she's an alienated, heavy-set teenage loser who embodies many traits from her real parents. This connection makes Wilson determined enough to hold this makeshift family together, hoping this will fill the void of loneliness he's feeling. What happens next is a maddening comedy of errors that defies common sense which will drain you of your energy.

Woody Harrelson tries very hard to convince you he is believable in the role of Wilson, but he comes off as uncomfortable and awkward. In fact, it doesn't seem like anyone believes in what they are doing. Maybe the actors, director, and writers are conducting an ongoing inside joke that the audience is not aware of. I mean Laura Dern has a long, upstanding career playing squeaky clean soccer moms and jilted housewives; she isn't a good fit for roles that requires grit and a bit of street edge. Claire is the worst joke of them all. Instead of the dialogue guiding what the audience should feel toward Claire, the story uses her weight as a punchline to create a sardonic edge.

The film deals with several themes. Wilson appears as someone on the autistic spectrum, or Austin coded. He has trouble establishing relationships, doesn't understand limitations, but wants companionship. While it's good to see more characters display various disabilities on screen, but Wilson is one of the worst portrayals of any human character. It isn't Woody Harrelson's fault either. The script just doesn't work in anyone's favor.

Then, the issue of adoption is glossed over too nonchalantly. Is the audience supposed to believe that this couple of miscreants could surprise their long lost daughter and then she instantly accepts them as part of her life? Even for a teenage recluse like it seems inconsistent for the character to not be visibly concerned about who these two strangers are and what they want. We never really see the experience from her point of view.

While Wilson is adapted from the graphic novel from author Daniel Clowes (who also wrote the screenplay), Wilson plays like every other short on wit, long on curse words, and eager for a pat resolution. I am a New Yorker, and we curse as a means to an end. In Wilson, it seems Clowes ran out of ideas for dialogue and used "fuck," and "shit," as alternatives. All the unnecessary cursing cost the film it's authenticity, cost the film its hilarity, and cheapens the film experience. The use of the language makes the characters insufferable to watch and makes the story unbearable. Hollywood should stop letting authors write screenplays. That hasn't ended well so far.

I am sure Wilson is an exciting graphic novel that explains a lot more than the film does. And Maybe it all looks good on paper, but in execution, there are a lot of problems. The characters aren't engaging, the tonality of the film is inconsistent, and it's just plain boring. The plot isn’t concerned with the emotional reality of its characters, so it's no wonder he decided to leave plausibility behind. What a mess.