World's Greatest Dad is a 2009 black comedy film directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, starring Robin Williams. Lance Clayton (Williams) is a high school teacher and aspiring writer who lives with his teenage son Kyle (Daryl Sabara). Lance has a complicated relationship with his son, who is rude, selfish, and cruel to those around him.
One day, after hosting a party while Lance is out of town, Kyle accidentally dies from autoerotic asphyxiation. Fearing embarrassment and shame for his son, Lance stages Kyle's death as a suicide and writes a fake suicide letter to gain attention. The plan backfires, and the school mourns the loss of Kyle.
However, Lance becomes an unexpected success when his fake letter is published in a local newspaper. The town becomes obsessed with Kyle's "suicide," and Lance becomes a somewhat unwilling hero as a result. He struggles with the guilt of exploiting his son's death for his own gain and eventually confesses the truth to a fellow teacher.
The film satirizes the obsession with tragedy and exploitation in modern society and the way people can become celebrities for all the wrong reasons. The film has received mostly positive reviews for its dark yet humorous take on a sensitive subject matter.