Written and Directed by Todd Phillips
Assisted by Court Crandall
With
- Will Ferrell as A Straight Man
- Luke Wilson as Not as Funny as Owen
- Vince Vaughn as Trent Walker
Erich breaks it all down... I want to review Old School because I like it and I think the typical Ruthless Reader would probably like it, too. Because it's funny. But I've always had trouble reviewing this kind of movie. All I can really do is A) tell you that I found it funny, which I already did; and B) ruin it by listing all of the jokes, which is pointless. I guess I can cover the film's premises as well. A bunch of thirty year olds start a frat, even though they aren't in school, enjoy the last of their youth and have conflict with a crusty dean. OK, what now?
I decided to check on the pro reviewers and see how they handle this one. Ebert just talks about some of his college experiences and college in general and says he doesn't find the movie funny. Once when I was in college I threw up on my driveway and a bunch of change fell out of my pocket and everybody thought I was throwing up spare change, which deeply impressed them for some reason so I just kind of played along. Then Jonny put a hole in my wall with his fucking ass. I've never understood how that happened. When the President of the United States visited our school, we had this nerdy guy build and set off a bra bomb. The dean was sure mad, but the Prez offered to make me his "Secretary of Partying Down" Needless to say, we were in college during the Clinton administration.
Mike LaSalle of the SF Chronicle says "The saving grace of Old School" is that it has about a dozen funny moments. These moments aren't mildly funny or chuckle funny but really funny?" Saving grace? It's a fucking comedy! Funny = Good. LaSalle's assessment is like saying that Warren Buffet's saving grace as an investor is that he's made billions and billions of dollars. The rest of the review is an elaboration. Shockingly, Old School lacks compelling characters or an engrossing story. Thank goodness it's an excellent comedy, because otherwise it would be a poor one.
Salon.com's Andrew O'Hare points out that you probably know if you'll like the movie before you see it. Then he says, "I am here, however, not to condemn Old School but rather to play a role not unlike that of the stuffy, tweedy professor in a college comedy who shows up, in the final dance-party scene, to shake his rump." I thought that was a funny analogy. Wait, make that a simile. See, I did go to college. Anyway, O'Hare goes on to tell us that the movie is funny a couple more times and to say that the actors are funny.
So, if the professionals can't do it either, I don't feel so bad.
Old School is funny. I liked it because it was funny. It had funny jokes. The actors are funny. This is one funny movie. Not one of the funniest ever, but one of the funniest of the year. They should have cut out the sappy scene about Vince Vaughn being true to his wife, though.
