I was recently told that the average age of a university student
is a little over 30, which means that many students are much older
considering all the young adults coming right out of high
school.
”
Old School
”
is about these thirty-something students, whose wish is to
reclaim their younger glory days by starting a fraternity for
themselves.
I was recently told that the average age of a university student is a little over 30, which means that many students are much older considering all the young adults coming right out of high school. “Old School” is about these thirty-something students, whose wish is to reclaim their younger glory days by starting a fraternity for themselves.
A rehash of “Animal House” and a thousand other obnoxious teen comedies, “Old School” is one of the worst of its kind. Unfunny and obvious, the film replays old scenes from better movies, giving the film a clichéd feel. It makes the “American Pie” films seem like high art. That being said, there is a distinct audience out there for “Old School,” and they’ll probably love it – it’s just a matter of taste. For me, the taste of “Old School” is rotten.
The main characters of “Old School” are revolting; it’s not even worth mentioning their names. Basically, we are seeing Will Ferrell, Vince Vaugh and Luke Wilson’s characters physically taking over a fraternity house, hoping to reclaim some of their younger glory. Amazingly, they recruit a bunch of losers and outcasts, many of them much older then our heroes. The motley crew of misfits start to throw parties, drinking extraordinary amounts of beer and hitting on young beauties, most of whom seem impressed by the crew’s ability to drink copious amounts of liquor.
This premise is too ridiculous to sustain a full-length comedy, and “Old School” goes downhill fast, right from the start. Will Farrell hams it up, just like he does on “Saturday Night Live,” but he is incapable of developing his character, and I don’t believe he’ll be called upon again to helm a film. He is audacious, but that doesn’t ensure results in comedy.
The audacity of Ferrell is apparent in that he does things in this film that are so repulsive they would make Tom Green cringe. He spends a good portion of the film nude, and even allows a full-frontal shot, complete with the tired joke of “it must be cold outside” to accompany it.
Will somebody please tell Vince Vaughn to hook up with his old buddy and writer Jon Favreau, who penned and co-starred in the immensely likable and witty “Swingers?” Since that fine film, Vaughn has made one bad movie after another, most notably the wretched remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”
Vaughn’s character in “Old School” is similar to the one he plays in “Swingers,” but with none of the wit and charm. He’s simply clever and smug, and uses his communication skills to woo women into bed.
Luke Wilson, brother of Owen, tries amiably but is unable to rise above the mundane script. His character is certainly the most honest and likable in the film, but he is given little to do and mostly just mugs around in his low-key style. The film has many unfunny cameos, most notably Andy Dick, Craig Kilborn, Artie Lange, Juliette Lewis and Sean William Scott. None of them give the film the spark it needs to be lifted out of its bottom-of-the-barrell status.
Some of the scenes seem like they could be funny if executed properly, but they all fall flat. They try to make a joke out of a thirty-something man sleeping with a high school girl, which I think is a little suspect.
Another scenario involves a should-be-funny 80-year-old man wrestling with voluptuous, topless coeds. It is painful to see.
“Old School” is one of the worst films of its kind ever made. I love lowbrow comedy, but this one suffers from a lame premise and a terrible script, punctuated by some of the least likable characters in recent memory.
OLD SCHOOL. Directed by Todd Phillips. Written by Phillips and Scot Armstrong. With Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Rated R (extremely crude humor, nudity, and profanity), 100 minutes. Now playing at Bay Area theaters.
