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Poster for Willard

Willard

When the cat's away, the rats will play.

2003 · 1h 40m · PG-13 Drama, Horror, Thriller
Directed by Glen Morgan

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Overview

Desperate for companionship, the repressed Willard befriends a group of rats that inhabit his late father's deteriorating mansion. In these furry creatures, Willard finds temporary refuge from daily abuse at the hands of his bedridden mother and his father's old partner, Frank. Soon it becomes clear that the brood of rodents is ready and willing to exact a vicious, deadly revenge on anyone who dares to bully their sensitive new master.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
64%
Tomatometer
Rotten

[Y]ou got a real opportunity here to do something really funny -- because Crispin Glover is really fun -- and something scary, but the rats, I guess, aren't up to the task.

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Fresh

In a culture clogged with appropriated effluvia and remake cop-outs, Willard is wittier and nastier than we deserve.

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Rotten

This new incarnation of Willard emphasizes one thing: no matter how bad the original was, it didn't need to be remade.

James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Fresh

The movie keeps it close, clammy and simple, the better to focus on what is unquestionably this little thriller's strongest point: The tragic love between a boy and his rodent.

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Fresh

A silly, snarling romp.

Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

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