An all but forgotten film from summer 2011, Terri featured John C. Reilly in an offbeat, dark coming of age story opposite a relative newcomer in Jacob Wysocki, who played a sad overweight teen with serious personal issues. Wysocki was a revelation, more than holding his own with Reilly, never an easy feat even for more experienced actors, and it seems to have paid off. Not only does he have a small role in this weekend's musical Pitch Perfect, but he's also taken the lead in Fat Kid Rules the World, the directorial debut by Matthew Lillard(Scooby-Doo).
Based on the award-winning novel by K.L. Goings, the story follows Troy Billings, a suicidal overweight teen who is saved by a homeless ex-schoolmate named Marcus(Matt O'Leary) who forces him to join his rock band as a drummer. The unusual friendship disturbs Troy's father, who wants to see the whole thing come to an end, especially when Marcus' drug issues are brought to light. Lillard seems to have an assured directorial hand, but this feels like well-worn material, especially for Wysocki who only takes on roles where he's defined by his weight. Hopefully he'll stop being typecast and can move on to bigger(no pun intended) things. The film won the audience award at this year's SXSW, so obviously there's something about it that connects with people.
Fat Kid Rules the World opens on October 5th. Check out the trailer below....
