Their latest offering is a film revolving around three young geeks who hire Owen Wilson to help protect and train them in their war against a school bully.

With rising comedy filmmakers like Aptow and Rogen and an actor like Wilson you may be expecting a lot from Drillbit Taylor, but instead the film is a by-the-numbers comedy that unfolds in fits and starts and is never quite sure of what it means to be funny.

Wilson barely has a decent line and his exceptional comic ability and generally engrossing screen persona is lost in a film which he seems to be doing on auto-pilot.

In recent films starring many of the new comedy generation (Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller etc), even when the actors are not on form and the plots familiar or weak you still cannot help be charmed by their lovable, larger-than-life characters.

However, Drillbit Taylor is one of the first where this is not the case and it almost makes you angry at Wilson for delivering his lines with little effort and fuming at the filmmakers for not giving him a greater vehicle to display his talents.

Whereas the Aptow / Rogen connection may be a seal of approval for many comedy fans, it has to be noted that directing duties were given to Steven Brill –– previously responsible for Adam Sandler embarrassments 'Mr Deeds' and 'Little Nicky.'

His direction is muddled and rarely has one focus on who or what the laughs are meant to be coming from, as well as not getting the best out of his cast.

Alongside Wilson, the young actors give an admirable overall performance and do their best with their stereo-typed characters.

Each person is straight out of a 'Revenge of the Nerds' type film but everyone's traits are exaggerated as far as possible.

There is the extremely scrawny, bespectacled Wade (Nate Hartley), chubby Ryan (Troy Gentile) and little Emmit (David Dorfman).

The school bully Filkins played by Alex Frost is also not just an ordinary bully but an extremely cruel character and it is clear why Drillbit's services are needed.

Little of the blame of the film can lay with the actors who have a dull and flat script to work with, but whereas Superbad's Michael Cera and Jonah Hill are naturally gifted at delivering comedy none of Drillbit Taylor's youngsters have the same skill.

It is amazing that Wilson even manages to get a chuckle out of Drillbit Taylor but, when given an equally talented performer to play off, he excels (like opposite Vince Vaughn in The Wedding Crashers).

Here the best moments are with Aptow's wife, the extremely gifted an underrated Leslie Mann as a sexy English teacher. She is easily the film's most charismatic performer.

Drillbit Taylor should act as a reminder to comedy film makers that more effort is needed to produce quality scripts and plots for these talented actors to work with.