| Overall Grade: |
C+ |
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| Story: |
C+ |
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| Acting: |
B- |
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| Direction: |
C |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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This school needs to do a bit more studying.
by ThomasC (movies profile)
Oct 10, 2006
5
of
7 people found this review helpful
Napoleon Dynamite vs. Bad Santa, sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? Get two dynamic personalities onscreen together, add a bunch of well-knowns as useless, two-dimensional roles, and get a director who has proved worthwhile in the director's chair. Of course, this is the formula of every Hollywood comedy nowadays, and it's up to the story to make or break it. "School for Scoundrels", reminiscent of both "Anger Management" and "Hitch", begins with showing the pathetic life Roger (Heder) leads. Living as a meter maid, Roger gets picked on and stolen from guys on the street, gets kicked out of the Big Brothers program (by the kid), and always lacks the courage to talk to his Australian neighbor Amanda (Jacinda Barrett). Not only is he incredibly timid, Roger is almost always faced with Becky, Amanda's obnoxious, random roommate. Becky is played by Sarah Silverman, a woman who has proven her worth in comedy. She creates the most memorable character, not because of the script, but because of the odd and frightening quirks she gives her. Unfortunately, Heder does not travel the same path. I feel bad for poor Heder, who will ALWAYS be stuck in the role of Napoleon Dynamite. I didn't see "Just Like Heaven", but I did see the flop that was "The Benchwarmers". Heder improves quite a bit in "School for Scoundrels", yet never creates an interesting character, he is merely a stoic cariacture. Roger gets recommended to a class, taught by Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) and his assistant Lesher (Michael Clarke Duncan), which teaches, well, I don't really know what it teaches. All the synopses say it's a self-confidence building class, yet when Dr. P gives out rules like "Be dangerous, it's cool", "Never compliment her", and "Lie, lie, and lie some more", it's hard to think of him as a typical self-help guru. No, the class is more about fighting your way to the top even if you bring everyone else down. That is the idea that propels the second half of the movie: the competition for Amanda between Roger and Dr. P. Although terribly unrealistic and rather contrived, these scenes allow the most instances of random events, which allow the most instances of random comedy. Near the end, Roger meets Lonnie (Ben Stiller), a former student who Dr. P had destroyed years before. This provides yet another frivolous event in a frivolous movie; Stiller gets absolutely no laughs. NONE. In fact, the entire film is an exercise of futility, sprinkled with chuckle-worthy moments throughout. Sure, a full-out paintball war is amusing (as seen in the previews). And yes, Michael Clarke Duncan pretending to be a woman for the class is charming (as also seen in the previews). The problem with "School for Scoundrels" does not lie within its setup, but in its execution. The framework and structure is well-planned and deliberate, however neither the actors nor director Todd Phillips know how to fill up the gaps with entertaining cinema. What a shame, since Phillips' "Road Trip", "Old School" and "Starsky & Hutch" were so ingenious and clever and well, just plain hilarious. The only performer who comes even close to being consistent is Thornton, who is his usual mean-spirited, foul-mouthed verbal abuser. He definitely wants an R-rated film, and the audience does too. "School for Scoundrels" is wholly mediocre and has a fair share of funny moments, but not nearly enough to give it a passing grade. I'd give it a C+ |
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