If the sight of 15-year-old actors beating one another to a bloody pulp sounds like your idea of a grand time, by all means line up to see "Drillbit Taylor," an unrelentingly mean-spirited comedy in which the audience is encouraged to laugh at each new humiliation sprung upon the teenage characters.

The film is co-written by actor Seth Rogen (with Kristofor Brown), and -- much like his screenplay for last summer's "Superbad" -- it centers a brash-talking, overweight dweeb; his skinny, shrinking violet best friend; and the yammering nerd who functions as their third wheel. But "Superbad" at least displayed some affection for its oddball characters whereas "Drillbit Taylor" just puts them through the ringer. (Both films were produced by "Knocked Up" director Judd Apatow.)

Over the course of 102 minutes, these hapless souls are punched, kicked, stripped naked and urinated upon, among many other indignities, by a bully whose behavior quickly crosses the line from the sociopathic to the serial killer-ish. That said bully is played by Alex Frost -- best known as one of the gunmen in Gus Van Sant's reconstruction of the Columbine shootings, "Elephant" -- only serves to remind the audience of the real-world problems of high school violence that "Drillbit Taylor" so glibly trades upon. Which is to say: This movie is far more depressing than it is funny.

The story begins on the first day of high school, where best friends Ryan (Troy Gentile) and Wade (Nate Hartley) are determined to become the coolest guys in the building. Instead, they soon cross paths with Filkins (Frost) and his henchman, Ronnie (Josh Peck). After Wade foolishly attempts to intervene as Filkins shoves poor Emmit (David Dorfman -- the spooky kid in "The Ring" now suffering through puberty) into his locker, the bully turns on them. Within a week, all three boys are fearing for their lives.

Their solution: Hire a professional to protect them. But instead of Matt Dillon in "My Bodyguard," they get Owen Wilson as the title character, a shifty homeless man who sees this as an opportunity to bilk these upper-middle-class kids out of some money. (The funniest bit features the kids interviewing a series of professional and semi-professional bodyguards, all of whom charge considerably more than Drillbit, who's content with $387.)

Like so many contemporary comedies, "Drillbit Taylor" doesn't make a lick of sense -- starting with the fact that Los Angeles rich kids like Wade and Ryan certainly wouldn't be attending public school, much less one in which the principal is so indifferent to the violence taking place right beneath his nose. Even more puzzling is the plot twist that has Drillbit entering the school and being confused for a substitute teacher -- and then returning day after day, calling himself "Dr. Illbit," and even beginning an affair with a randy English teacher named Lisa (Leslie Mann, who's too good an actress to be taking parts that give her this little to do).

Directed by Steven Brill, whose credits include two of Adam Sandler's weakest vehicles, "Little Nicky" and "Mr. Deeds," "Drillbit Taylor" turns increasingly and unnecessarily complicated. But the question of whether Drillbit will be able to redeem himself takes a back seat to the question of what sadistic sight the film will serve up next.