School for Scoundrels

[Boner Kawanger 0]

In case anyone doesn't know, this is a movie from Todd Phillips (Old School) starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder. I don't know if you guys were expecting much from this. I wasn't. Yet I was still disappointed. I'll go with a short, spoiler-free review and then put spoilers below. Basically, if you've seen the preview, you know the deal. Jon Heder, in a role he's certainly not accustomed to, plays a loser who enrolls in some kind of weird, underground self-help class taught by Billy Bob and Michael Clark Duncan. He goes after a girl in his building, only to find that his teacher is going after her to teach him his final lesson. It's pretty formulatic, and maybe it's because I really don't like Jon Heder in anything, but the movie got maybe two laughs out of me. Billy Bob Thornton is misused. We were rooting for him because Jon Heder is just a black hole here. No sympathy, and it's just hard to root against Billy Bob Thornton, especially considering the opposition. This is one of those movies where if you see the trailer, you can skip the whole movie. If this hadn't been free, we would have probably walked out. Oh, just in case you're wondering, we got our tickets to the screening from our friend that edits the entertainment section of the school's paper.

 

Spoilers Follow

 

-David Cross is wasted. He has two scenes and just serves to advance the plot. The only funny part with him was my friend turning to me and reciting his John Wayne speech from Arrested Development.

-Sarah Silverman has a small role, too, but it's mostly her sleepwalking through her usual playing a huge bitch.

-Ben Stiller would have been a little more funny had his cameo (yes, cameo) been kept out of every trailer. But if you think man-rape jokes are funny, then Ben Stiller and Michael Clark Duncan are here for you.

-Also, if nut shots are your cup of tea, this movie has around eight or nine, which again, were mostly seen in the trailer.

-The movie ends like Animal House, with on-screen text telling us what happened to some of the characters. The only problem here is, other than Jon Heder's character, none of the others we get updates on are developed enough or important enough to make you care. Oh, the final shot is Heder in a speedo swimming around in circles like a seal with one flipper.

-What really would have completely saved this movie for me would have been a reversal of the plot, because really, it's a good idea with bad execution. If Thornton had been the good guy (and really, who can hate a guy named Doctor P?) and the movie had been about the class as a whole instead of just focusing on Heder, I really think they would have had something.

 

And in case you were wondering, the two parts that got a genuine laugh out of me:

There's a bald guy in the class named Eli. In the previews, I thought he was the dad from Veronica Mars, but he wasn't. Anyways, at one point, he says "Things are going good for me. I've got two girls back at my place that think I'm Moby."

 

And when two of the guys from the class are playing cops to help Dr. P get Heder out of the picture, one of them tells the girl, in response to a doctored picture of her and Heder, "There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to be murdered."

 

The rest is formulatic junk and plot holes.

 

To sum it up, I'll be honest. I've got different tastes in comparison to a lot of people, and some of the people there were laughing a lot. So if you think it looks good, check it out. But if you were like me and didn't think the previews looked that great, then save your money.

[NoCalMike 0]

The problem with most Jon Heder movies is Jon Heder. The guy can't act. Napolean Dynamite worked so well because minus the glasses and red curly hair wig, it is basically Jon Heder playing himself. He is just as robotic and monotone in every role I have seen him play since, even in promos and interviews he comes off as a living corpse.

[Special K 0]

The only chance I would see this movie is for David Cross. Hope he starts to get more supporting roles.

[tominator89 0]

Honest question: how much different is this movie than Anger Management?

[In Credible 0]

It sounds like Anger Management and Rushmore.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

The only chance I would see this movie is for David Cross. Hope he starts to get more supporting roles.

 

Then don't go see it.

Honest question: how much different is this movie than Anger Management?

I have never seen Anger Management, but now that you mention it, the plots are kinda similar.

[Black Lushus 0]

the Jon Heder SNL episode was the worst

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

I saw this a month ago at my job, I figured it would be straight to video. Billy Bob owns this movie and should be the only reason you watch this. Ben Stiller's cameo should have been kept a secret also, but I guess it would be the only thing to actively promote this movie as a big deal. They should have also left the paint ball scenes off the trailer as well.

[bob_barron 0]

It's a remake of an old UK movie

[k thx 0]

The UK movie was pretty cool, mainly because the notion of scoundels is very British. I'll check it out, but I can't see it being done well.