School for Scoundrels
SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS: D FOR DUMB
School for Scoundrels is Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder’s latest attempt to prove that they are still marketable. Unfortunately, they don’t come through on their promise. Director Todd Phillip also wrote the screenplay for this unsurprising, tired story and maybe he should have asked for an outside opinion.
Roger Waddell (Jon Heder) is a pathetic excuse of a man who works as a meter maid in New York City. He is a sweet guy who volunteers as a Big Brother. He pines for the girl next door, Amanda (Jacinda Barrett) in his apartment building. But he gets shot at by thugs when he tries to give them a ticket, he gets dumped by three kids as a Big Brother, and Amanda is only nice to him in a neighborly way. So when he is told about a class that will help him turn his life around, he jumps at the chance.
This class is led by Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) and his sidekick, Lesher (Michael Clarke Duncan). He charges $5000 for the class and doesn’t make any promises. He tells them that they aren’t losers because losers actually try. He berates them, forces them to start confrontations, and puts them through a masochistic game of paintball. But when Roger starts to shine as a student, Dr. P puts him through hell as he goes after the girl of his dreams. The test is whether Roger will push back.
This movie was predictable every step of the way. You are given the background, you see the setup, and you can see the ending 30 minutes into the film. Jon Heder is fine as an underdog, but unfortunately for the viewer, he isn’t a good actor. You expect him to say “Gosh!” at any given moment throughout the movie. As for Billy Bob, he needs some new material. Bad Santa was funny, The Bad News Bears was okay, and The Ice Harvest was unwatchable. Can somebody please give this man a different character to play? Jacinda Barrett is believable as the girl to get but she doesn’t have much to work with.
This movie could have been better on so many levels. A lot of the plot points weren’t explained. How Roger gets $5000 to pay for this class is just one example. It would have been nice to not see the underdog win in the end. And just a note to directors of comedies out there: please stop doing celebrity cameos (I’m talking to you Ben Stiller)! It is overplayed and just not funny. And while we are on the subject, don’t put Sarah Silverman in any more movies. She is not funny as the bitchy roommate, girlfriend, etc., character. She is not an actress, she is a comedian. They are not the same thing.
So, in short, don’t spend your hard earned $10 to see this movie. Don’t even spend $4 to rent the DVD. Wait till it is showing on cable on a Saturday afternoon. And that’s only if you have nothing else better to do.
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