07/24/09 - Old School

Old School (2003, 92 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302886/

Following up on The Hangover and wanting a really short movie I decide to check out the 2003 offering of Todd Phillips. It's similar in style with three middle-aged guys going on a "picaresque-esque" adventure.

The three main stars are those played by Luke Wilson (Mitch Martin), Will Ferrell (Frank Ricard), and Vince Vaughn (Beanie Campbell). These guys set up a fraternity on a campus where hardly any of the pledges actually go to the school. Dean Gordon Pritchard (Jeremy Piven) plays their antagonist while Nicole (Ellen Pompeo) serves as the love interest for Mitch.

The one thing that really bugged me about this movie was the plot progression. I don't know if Phillips just hadn't reached the grove that he firmly set up in The Hangover but many of the scenes were really short and didn't provide a ton of feeling towards specific characters. The movie flowed fine so that wasn't the problem, it was just that there were quite a bit minor characters that never really reached the potential they could've had if the movie would've maybe had lengthened some scenes and ditched some others altogether. Mainly: Dean Pritchard didn't seem like an adequate "villain" and Nicole was a pretty boring love interest.

The comedy itself was mediocre. I'm not a fan of Will Ferrell and I think the only thing of his I've liked is Elf (though that was probably more for Zooey Deschanel's character than anything). Vaughn's Campbell is the funniest character in the movie in my opinion and probably has the most memorable lines. I did find myself laughing at some of the oddball moments instigated by Campbell. Wilson's character holds his own and I'm a fan of his acting so I was pleased there. Priven's Dean is stupid and I didn't really find him that funny.

Overall, I gave this film a 5/10. I did find quite a few scenes and lines pretty funny. It pales in comparison to some certain comedies but it was worth a watch. Is it a film I'll watch again and again? No, but I wouldn't be against checking it out again some other day with friends.