It would be easy to dismiss the new comedy “Old School” as just another raunchy, thick-headed “Animal House” wannabe, but the idea behind it (whether it is intentional or not) gives it some respectability. However, the film never pretends (or aspires) to be anything beyond what it is, which is an enjoyable and funny, albeit an ultimately uneven, good time at the theater. Serious moviegoers may want to skip this film, but those seeking escapist fun could do a lot worse than this movie.
In the film, three friends (Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell), long out of college and faced with the disillusionment of their early 30s, decide to start a new fraternity (free from the confines of actual higher education) when one of them rents a house on the campus of a local university. When rumors of the new Greek brotherhood spread, the idea strikes a nerve with the local male community, and soon the three founders are recruiting pledges whose ages range from 18 to 80.
The most hilarious part of the film is the hazing period for the new recruits. During one particular initiation test, which involves a cinder block tied around the pledges’ private parts, an unforeseen incident that will have moviegoers doubled over with laughter.
There are a number of funny bits throughout the film, but some are cut off prematurely while others linger beyond the punchline. One failed sketch, involving an oral sex class, is all a set-up to showcase the tiring antics of the increasingly unfunny Andy Dick. Someone somewhere should tell him that he is past his prime.
The dead-on comic moments are met with a number of misses, leaving a seemingly unbalanced mix. The uneven result limits the film to a mediocre level, not that the filmmakers were looking to make any critics’ top 10 lists, but the potential payoff could have made for a better film. It doesn’t help that the majority of those comic misses occur toward the end of the movie, diminishing the success of the funnier bits at the beginning.
The biggest attribute of “Old School” is the strength of the three leads. Though neither one stretches beyond their normal film personalities, the dynamic between them produces a charismatic mix that moviegoers will find charming in spots and downright funny in others. The breakdown of the film cannot be blamed on the efforts of Vaughn, Wilson and Ferrell. However, Ferrell’s clowning around comes dangerously close to going overboard at times.
On one level, this film is not unlike “The Full Monty” or the incredibly under appreciated “Fight Club,” in which male characters, faced with disillusionment with their lives and low self-esteem, form a support group to overcome these obstacles. This is not to say that “Old School” should receive the types of accolades showered on “The Full Monty.” This movie wasn’t made for the Oscar crowd, and it is safe to say they wouldn’t enjoy it anyway.