A ‘Cat using his nine lives

Many people still recall Bobcat Goldthwait from the skittish comedy persona he created onstage doing stand-up in the ‘80s and through appearances in such dubious movies as the “Police Academy” series. He was seemingly always on the verge of some kind of meltdown, and it could be hard to know whether to laugh along or offer help.

Goldthwait has more recently refashioned himself as a writer and director of films that have a similarly off-kilter sensibility, finding the true emotions in outrageous setups. His latest effort, “World’s Greatest Dad,” premiered Sunday at Sundance as part of the Spectrum section. Prior to the festival, the film was widely tipped as a must-see for audiences and acquisition execs alike.

The film stars Robin Williams as a sad-sack high school teacher who has always harbored dreams of being a successful writer. When he finds his teenage son dead from autoerotic asphyxiation (look it up), he makes it appear like a suicide. When a faked farewell note touches people around the school, he forges a journal for his son as well. Suddenly, his words are being celebrated but at the price of the true memory of his son.

“World’s Greatest Dad” mines some of the same territory as Goldthwait’s previous feature, “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” in the sense that it is difficult to describe the events of the film in a manner that accurately captures the emotional sensation of watching it unfold.

“I write scripts that aren’t just based on some weird incident,” explained Goldthwait during a recent interview in Los Angeles. “I’m interested in what Robin calls the comedy of the uncomfortable. . . . I don’t have any interest in sitting down and writing a comedy where everybody talks in punch lines. Those kinds of movies make my skin crawl.”

Goldthwait was at Sundance in 2006 with “Sleeping Dogs Lie” (then titled “Stay”). Though he had previously made the 1991 feature “Shakes the Clown” and directed for television, “Sleeping Dogs” is in many ways where Goldthwait found his voice as a filmmaker.

“You can’t do the full concept,” said Robin Williams over the phone, asked to describe “World’s Greatest Dad.”

“When I read it, it went from something that initially seems so dark and so bizarre,” Williams continued, “and then he builds from that to this very human, very intimate response. Which is why I wanted to do it. Especially doing something this strange and this vulnerable. I went places I don’t think I’ve gone in a long, long time, if ever.”

Goldthwait and Williams are old friends, having met at a comedy club 26 years ago. Goldthwait recalls the time he went from getting a standing ovation at a film festival to a few days later being heckled onstage at a combination comedy club and seafood restaurant.

He makes it clear that he has no bitterness regarding his comedy career but adds that he is much happier to not be performing.

“ ‘Sleeping Dogs Lie’ and ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ have so much more to do with me than anything I’ve ever done onstage or in any role. These [films] are really how I feel and think about things.”

In particular, it isn’t hard to draw a connection between the way Goldthwait talks of his comedy career and the themes in “World’s Greatest Dad” regarding the emotional toll of getting what you want in a way you would never want it.

“Truly, I never realized that really it is 100% personal,” Goldthwait said.

He hopes to soon make another feature, which will complete what he says his girlfriend calls “the boo-hoo trilogy.”

“I can’t stress enough how happy I am and how much I’ve enjoyed this ride. My expectations aren’t anything more than to keep making personal movies with my friends.

“It’s not as bad as playing a fish restaurant.”

--

calendar@latimes.com