Film Details:
School For Scoundrels (12A)
Comedy(2006)
101mins US
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Jon Heder, Billy Bob Thornton, Jacinda Barrett, Michael Clarke Duncan

Watch Trailer, Clips and Featurette
Win a private screening of the movie School For Scoundrels for you and 30 friends

LondonNet Film
School For Scoundrels

Based on the classic 1960 caper starring Terry Thomas, School For Scoundrels is a comedy about a loser who takes life by the horns, and almost gets gored as he hangs on for dear life...

Todd Phillips's film is blessed with winning performances from Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as the hapless hero, and Billy Bob Thornton as his scheming mentor, who bombards students with epithets such as, "Friends are just obstacles that stand between you and success".

The centrepiece sequence on an indoor tennis court, when teacher and his fast rising protege trade back hand passes and sardonic quips, edges tantalisingly close to hysteria. A madcap grand finale is both intelligent and satisfying; a rare double-act in mainstream Hollywood comedies.

But for all its efforts, School For Scoundrels flunks some of the basics, like well-drawn characters, consistent tone and a balance between saccharine sentiment and heartfelt emotion.

New York City traffic warden Roger (Heder) is too sweet and sensitive for his own good, allowing angry customers to bully him into submission. Adding to Roger's misery, he is a gibbering wreck around women, and doesn't know how to chat-up his beautiful neighbour Amanda (Jacinda Barrett). It certainly doesn't help that every time he plucks up the courage to approach Amanda, her sarcastic roommate Becky (Sarah Silverman) laughs in his face.

So Roger enrols in confidence classes run by the enigmatic Dr P (Thornton) and his hulking sidekick Lesher (Michael Clarke Duncan). Dr P's teaching methods are unconventional to say the least - they are more akin to mental and physical torture - heaping humiliation upon the students including henpecked husband Diego (Horatio Sanz), desperately shy Eli (Todd Louiso) and mummy's boy Walsh (Matt Walsh).

The tutorials seem to do the trick and Roger's self-belief soars, blessing him with the self-confidence to take charge of his romantic destiny... until Dr P cruelly decides to woo Amanda himself. So the hero joins forces with his new pals to orchestrate a daring campaign of bluff and double bluff worthy of Jack Bauer. "Think of this as a real-life 24," proudly declares Roger, "except our version could be called... 1!"

Entertaining in fits, School For Scoundrels has the potential to be a non-stop riot of laughter. The script, co-written by Phillips and Scot Armstrong, is pitched as a black comedy but concentrates on a fairy-tale finish at the expense of plumbing the darker aspects of human nature, which would bring much-needed depth to some of the characters.

Heder is huggable and Thornton brings a roguish twinkle to the eye of his suave teacher, but Barrett is a tad insipid. On the scant evidence in Phillips's film, we struggle to understand why Roger would risk incarceration to win her heart. During his lessons, Dr P tells students that by following his example, they can unleash "their inner lion". School For Scoundrels is more of a docile housecat.

- Heather Von Bourne

Trailer

Quicktime Low | Medium | High
Windows Media Player Low | Medium | High
Realplayer Low | Medium | High

Clip 1

Quicktime Medium | High
Windows Media Player Medium | High
Realplayer Medium | High

Clip 2

Quicktime Low | Medium | High
Windows Media Player Low | Medium | High
Realplayer Low | Medium | High

Featurette

Quicktime Low | Medium | High
Windows Media Player Low | Medium | High
Realplayer Low | Medium | High