Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
OLD SCHOOL is not high art, and thank God for that. OLD SCHOOL is, on the other hand, very, very funny. Mr. Beaks was the first one to tell me that, and when I saw the film, I agreed completely. Since then, everyone I’ve talked to who has seen the film agrees.
Hell, check out this review from our occasional contributor, Dr. Strangelove:
Hey all,
Dr. Strangelove here with a review of OLD SCHOOL, directed by Todd Phillips (ROAD TRIP, FRAT HOUSE), and starring Luke Wilson (as Mitch), Vince Vaughn (as Beanie) and Will Ferrell (as Frank “The Tank”) as a merry bunch of 30-something slackers looking for some quality good ol’ frat action, along with a cast of dozens of off-the-wall characters.
When I first saw OLD SCHOOL, last Friday, it was love at first sight, I found myself in constant laughter for the full 100 minutes, realizing just in the first ten minutes of it’s running time, it has to be one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while. At first, I did not indent to write a review; I have felt that both Moriarty and Mr. Beaks respectfully, have done the movie justice with their great reviews, perfectly conveying the comic genius it is made of. Yet now, almost a week later, I still cannot stop thinking about the gags and the lines; occasionally, awkwardly breaking out into chuckle, in all the wrong moments; my whole manner of social communication curtailing just into constant retelling of the best antics and jokes. This has hardly ever happened to me, such is the power of OLD SCHOOL… It is THAT good.
Todd Phillips and DreamWorks SKG have a clear winner in their hands. Phillips has skillfully crafted OLD SCHOOL into a tour de force of Wilson’s, Vaughn's and Ferrell’s usually immensely underused, but vast comic talents; all three have not been this good in years; In OLD SCHOOL, they’re a comic dream team. A star is born, to Ferrell, this is his big break after being an essential pillar of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE for the last few years, a perfectly cast role with great material that allows him to use his immense comic abilities to the max. His performance as Frank “The Tank”, a newlywed disgruntled with prospects of abandoning his party and bachelor habits, has in opinion created one of the funniest and most memorable comedic characters of our time, along with being a centerpiece of a dozen gags that are just predestined to become instant classics. You laugh all through OLD SCHOOL, you laugh even harder when Ferrell’s on-screen, and yet even more when he displays full-frontal nudity…at times…it gets to a point of massively agonizing abdomen muscle ache.
Vince is back and kicking, after going nowhere in the past few years as a result of a couple of bad drama trips (THE CELL, and the utterly dreadful DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE) that served nothing but to waste his talents. Vaughn’s made a great comeback to good comedy by playing Beanie, the family man of the trio and a colossally massive but equally likeable sleek asshole (with a heart of gold), who at times steals the show even from the seemingly unstoppable Ferrell. I’ve not seen Vaughn in such a good mode and having so much fun since SWINGERS. Vaughn has made Beanie transgress meager character status and along with Ferrell’s Frank “The Tank” become a full-blown icon for the struggle against maturity and all the things it brings… i.e. responsibility, family, parenthood and questionable quality and quantity of sex life. The main cast is rounded up by Luke Wilson who with his turn as Mitch, builds up on the good inkling from his work in the ROYAL TENNENBAUMS. Wilson’s character serves as the main catalyst of the movie as he is the one that gets in the house next to the campus, after going through a rather unfortunate situation with his girlfriend. One could say Beanie is the brain, Mitch the heart and “Tank” the soul of the mischievous trio.
The leads are supported by a strong secondary cast; Jeremy Piven as the Dean, a dull, coke-bottle glassed, stuck-up, dreary nerd and a raging prick who has old high-school scores to settle with the ill-behaving trio, and in turn does his worst to end the partying; creating OLD SCHOOL into somewhat of an antithesis of the REVENGE OF THE NERDS. Great cameos and smaller roles are provided by Snoop Dog, Juliette Lewis, Sean William Scott, Craig Killborn, Andy Dick, Leah Remini as well as numerous others; indeed, a great collection of well used comic talent all in one place, along with utterly hot Elisha Cuthbert being prominently utilized among the obligatory eye candy. Indeed, Great work from Phillips all across the board.
OLD SCHOOL is low on plot points but high on the laugh factor, the story having the primary service of connecting the smartly written sketches into a semblance of a movie form, great execution of whom being its main advantage along with the grade A performances. It is of that rare brand of comedy that comes out just every few years, pure, constant enjoyment; it is of sort that leaves an imprint on the pop culture for years to come, mainly because it successfully manages to play to completely different audiences, its comedic themes having an appeal both to the teen and mature public. Moreover, it is funny as hell. OLD SCHOOL is for DreamWorks an ace card set for release on February 21st.
Want to critic the critic? Send me love letters?...What ever it is i'd be happy to reply. I've tried my best to keep this review spoiler free, but if you want some more meet from OLD SCHOOL, feel free to message me. Be warned though, nothing ruins a comedy like a spoiler
This is one of those comedies where the chemistry of the cast and the simple silly streamlined plot combine to create something memorably hilarious. Hats off to Todd Phillips for putting together a film that deserves to be a major hit this spring.
In fact, I like the film so much that I want you to see it early. Next Wednesday night, February 12th, I’ve arranged to show it to you for free in Sherman Oaks. I’ll give you details about the screening as we get closer to the actual date, but for now, I want to give away 50 pairs of tickets to you guys first before I open it up to first-come, first-serve.
If you want the passes (and trust me... you do), then write me at this address with the header “OLD SCHOOL Screening” and tell me what your favorite film is that features a SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE cast member. Starring, co-starring, cameo, or even behind the camera as a writer or director. Any cast, any year of SNL’s entire run. It can be Dan Aykroyd in GROSSE POINT BLANK or Bill Murray in RUSHMORE or Chris Kattan in CORKY ROMANO or Billy Crystal in MONSTERS INC.
Although if it’s Chris Kattan in CORKY ROMANO, I’m not sure I’m going to let you in.
Point being, I’ll give these tickets away next Monday morning, and that’s when I’ll announce the details of the screening for the rest of you. When we showed THE RING in Pasadena, we had a great time, and I look forward to seeing you guys next week, and to seeing this film again.
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