Movie Review – Old School

The most boring movie of 2003. OK, two topless scenes and several clich? jokes later I was left feeling not so impressed. Now I certainly didn’t expect Oscar caliber filmmaking, but from the word of mouth I had the impression this was at least a nostalgic trip back to the Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The characters, dialogue and comedic timing just falls flat. As thirty-somethings trying to regain some sense of bachelorhood only Will Ferrell’s character was entertaining (getting caught streaking by his wife & her girlfriends) while Luke Wilson seemed whiny (I just want nice girls who don’t like sex) and Vince Vaughn’s character was a poor man’s version of Trent from Swingers (Everyone thinks I’m a horndog, but really girls make me cry).

I’m not balking at the movie because it was predictable. This type of film generally follows a certain formula, but unlike Revenge of the Nerds which put silly characters in equally silly challenges the fight for fraternity recognition in Old School seems pointless. All the gags rely on one joke humor instead of building any real momentum. Even the KY wrestling match was sad as the choice of females was completely unappealing.

“Are strange men staring at your rib cage more than your boobs?”

“It could be a sign of EAT SOME FRICKIN’ FOOD!!!”

If you’re looking for mindless sex & scenes with hot chicks this is definitely not the film for you. Vince Vaughn’s wife (played by Leah Remini) – HOT. His character’s cheating opportunity – NOT HOT.

Adam Sandler flicks do a better job of tying up plot lines. Luke Wilson ends up with the girl even though you don’t see them interact in any way the last third of the film. You’re teased with the idea that the boss’s daughter MIGHT be a problem. This could have been a one act joke, but it pops up every time you forget about it and then just disappears by the end of the film. Two scenes with the boss, first act Luke’s a sniveling yes man, last third of the film he tells his boss to go screw.

I’m glad that I missed this in the theatre and thankfully it was a cheap DVD rental. Oh and one final nail before I click ’submit’; I watched the Un-Rated version and have no idea what could possibly have been bad about it. Did I mention only TWO not-even-raunchy nude scenes? Maybe it’s un-rated because the skinny chicks are smack-dab-motion-captured on the front of the DVD menu.

Grade: D+ (Cause some people REALLY like Will Ferrell)