| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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Well worth seeing, definitely funny
by __A_YAHOO_USER__ (movies profile)
Nov 9, 2007
60
of
85 people found this review helpful
Once again, the pro critics are trashing a movie that's actually pretty good. What is their deal anyway? Lately, it seems like they're all on a mission to totally destroy every movie in sight. One might almost think someone was paying them to destroy the movie industry, rather than simply report on it.
Anyway, I thought this movie was pretty funny. The main attraction is, of course, Billy Bob Thornton, one of the most interesting and entertaining actors in the business, who's proven in other movies (e.g. "The Man Who Wasn't There") that all he has to do is sit on a chair with a blank expression on his face to draw a laugh. THAT is what I call talent, and it comes out in this movie, even though his character here is much more forceful. The main character, "Roger", played by John Heder, is also hilarious. He's such a pathetic wuss that you can't help laughing, even if you do feel a bit of sympathy for his plight. Desperate, he plunks down a heap of money for a self improvement course, taught by "Dr. P" (Thornton), not even realizing what he's getting into. Dr. P's philosophy is that there are two kinds of men in life....except I'm not going to tell you the exact words, because it would spoil the film (and because it would violate the "no obscene language" rule here). Suffice it to say, Dr. P turns his students into "better men" by turning them into jerks. The irony is that they actually DO end up feeling better about themselves, even if they end up looking like the Blues Brothers.
That, however, isn't the main plot of the movie, it's only the setup. The main story is how Roger and Dr. P end up in virtually mortal competition, thanks to Roger doing much better in the class than anyone expected. Yes, there is a woman involved, and yes, you'll enjoy it. Unless, of course, you are a humorless moron. (That's a joke, by the way. Just a little practice for you, before the movie.) The ending is a standard movie cliche, but I don't think that has much of a negative an impact on enjoying the rest of the film.
Be sure to keep an eye out for Ben Stiller, as well, in a fabulous supporting role--seriously, I am not normally a fan of Stiller, but I've got to take my hat off to him for his part in this movie. Great work, very amusing.
See it. Ignore the morons who actually get paid to write reviews, they are clueless. |
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