Old School Reviews

I already saw this movie but, following the huge of success of 'Joker', I thought I might as well check again this previous directing effort from Todd Phillips. Well, in fact, for many actors involved, this movie was where it all really started. Indeed, after this movie, the press created the concept of the ‘Frat Pack’, a nickname given to a group of comedy actors who would appear together in many of the highest grossing comedy movies during and after the late 1990's. Anyway, for Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn, that’s when it all started to really take off. It was also another success for Todd Phillips and, 6 years later, he would even be more successful and get a massive blockbuster with ‘The Hangover’. Coming back to our main feature, to be honest, I wasn’t really sure about the concept as it did sound rather moronic if you ask me. Indeed, the whole thing about some grown-ups starting a college fraternity did sound pretty stupid. Still, back in those days, Ferrell and Vaughn were pretty much on fire and the jokes were often quite hilarious. Eventually, the main issue I had is that they didn’t dare to go even further and the whole thing remained rather safe and predictable after all. Anyway, to conclude, even though I don’t think it was really anything great, I have to admit that it is actually quite entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

não gosto do Ferrel, mas esse filme é realmente muito bom como dizem.

só o detalhe desse ser o mesmo papel que o vince varughn em uns 30 filmes ... mas td bem ... é massa! =P

"True love is hard to find, sometimes you think you have true love and then you catch the early flight home from San Diego and a couple of nude people jump out of your bathroom blindfolded like a goddamn magic show ready to double team your girlfriend..."

Old School is an early noughties take on an old genre - the college/fraternity flick, which was most memorably embodied in the classic 1978 feature National Lampoon's Animal House. It's perhaps unsurprising that the producer of the defining Animal House, Ivan Reitman, also served as executive producer on Old School. Reitman's involvement is a good omen, as this is a highly amusing comedy as well as an effective take on an ailing genre. This is not the greatest comedy of all time, but it's one of the funniest comedies of 2003 - a satisfying mixture of terrific humour, well-developed characters, and a refusal to go for the cheapest and most predictable gag. In an era burdened by countless below-par "comedies", Old School delivers with surprising effectiveness.

As the story begins, average middle-class guy Mitch Martin (Wilson) returns from a business trip to find his wife (Lewis) about to engage in a gang bang. Fleeing from his broken relationship, Mitch ends up moving into a low-rent house on the outskirts of a nearby University. Following a rather epic housewarming party, the University begin taking steps to repossess the property. But Mitch and his best friends Frank (Ferrell) and Beanie (Vaughn) discover a loophole which would allow them to keep the house: transform it into a fraternity house for anyone wanting to pledge (be it student, non-student, young or old). This idea is a tremendous success, and the house is soon the most popular location on campus. This irks the local University's vindictive dean (Piven), who in turn spearheads a campaign to bring the fraternity down.

To be sure, Old School does not so much tell a story as it simply exploits a funny premise. There's not a great deal to supplement the laughs since the focus is on staging gags, most of which are side-splitting. First things first - this is not a highbrow comedy. Virtually every single gag involves sex, nudity, heavy drinking, stupidity, underage sex, or a combination of the above. Plus, one scene features an unforgettable rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart with "alternative" lyrics. Director Todd Phillips and his crew of screenwriters managed to keep the laughs and comedic set-pieces coming at a good pace, too. However, a comparison to National Lampoon's Animal House would not be flattering for Old School, as it's not as clever, innovative or as memorable as its '70s predecessor.

A great deal of the comic fodder is derived from the fact that the trio of protagonists are much older than college students yet still adore partying and drinking. There's a bit of appeal to this idea as well - which 35-year-old would not want to party hard with little or no consequences? Additionally, it's amusing watching the characters becoming reacquainted with their bygone lifestyles, most notably the recently-married Frank who reawakens his drinking habits and reclaims his former label of "Frank the Tank". The fact that Old School is painfully by-the-numbers and hampered by predictability matters not in the grand scheme of things, as it feels mean-spirited to point out the foibles of an otherwise enjoyable flick.

This movie also presented a unique opportunity for Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn to do what they do best: create hilarious personalities which we will come to know and love. Ferrell's character easily steals the spotlight as the newly regenerated alcoholic who gets naked and fumbles around a lot. While Ferrell is responsible for many of Old School's best and most memorable moments, Wilson and Vaughn definitely hold their own. Wilson is a master of droopy-eyed normal guy shtick, and he played his role convincingly here. Meanwhile, the film afforded ample opportunities for Vaughn to utilise his hilarious motor-mouth comedy skills that nobody in Hollywood can equal or top. Jeremy Piven also submitted an enjoyably snark performance as the villain for us to root against, though he's not a patch on John Vernon's Dean Wormer from Animal House. Also in the cast is Seann William Scott who's utterly wasted in a side-splitting cameo, Ellen Pompeo as Wilson's love interest, and even young Elisha Cuthbert (Jack Bauer's daughter in 24) as a schoolgirl who is mistaken for a college-aged girl. None of the actors turned in anything of Oscar calibre, but it's easy to believe everyone in their respective roles. Each did a fine job with the material.

The filmmakers who contributed to the creation of Old School cared only about providing a fun time, and in this regard they succeeded tremendously. Elements like plot are inconsequential devices used to move the film from one joke to the next. If you're seeking a good time, the film gets a passing grade. It provides nothing more substantial, however. Make sure to continue watching the movie as the credits roll, as even more laughs lie in wait once the film is over.

7.2/10