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Movies / On DVD / School for Scoundrels
School for Scoundrels

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School for Scoundrels (2006)

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Reviews Counted:135

Fresh:33

Rotten:102

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: School for Scoundrels squanders its talented cast with a formulaic, unfocused attempt at a romantic comedy that's neither romantic nor funny.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language, crude and sexual content, and some violence

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:2006

Box Office: $17,787,157

Synopsis: Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) runs a SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS at which luckless men are given a crash course in the ways of the alpha male. Dishing out trite but, to the men involved, revelatory advice... Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) runs a SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS at which luckless men are given a crash course in the ways of the alpha male. Dishing out trite but, to the men involved, revelatory advice about how to "initiate confrontation" and "lie, lie, and lie some more," Dr. P turns his students into virile studs who hide their still-lingering insecurities behind sunglasses and absurd bluster. When one student, the kindhearted but painfully awkward Roger (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE's Jon Heder), has too easy of a time capturing the girl of his dreams, Dr. P's competitive streak goes off the charts and a battle between teacher and student ensues. After an exchange of several pranks, each with increased maliciousness and consequence, one of the two fellas lands the girl. While SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS (based on a British comedy from the 1960s, and co-written and directed by Todd Phillips) doesn't reach the rambunctious fever pitch of OLD SCHOOL (also directed by Phillips) or contain the oddly endearing, near-sublime vulgarity of THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, it does have its fair share of laughs. The primary redeeming quality of the film is its excellent cast, which features various alumni of THE UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and MR. SHOW (including Matt Walsh, Paul Scheer, Horatio Sanz, Sarah Silverman, and David Cross). Billy Bob Thorton has developed something of a mid-career cottage industry playing foul-mouthed S.O.Bs; Heder has the lovably awkward dork down to a twitch-filled science (his panic attacks nearly induce the same in the audience); and while former REAL WORLD LONDON cast member Jacinda Barrett is stuck in the somewhat restrictive girlfriend role as Amanda, she's genuinely charming and effervescent. Fans of the early-2000s "frat pack"-style comedies should find much to amuse them in SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS. [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jacinda Barrett

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jacinda Barrett, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, Horatio Sanz, Matt Walsh, Paul Scheer, David Cross

Director: Todd Phillips

Director: Todd Phillips
Screenwriter: Todd Phillips, Scot Armstrong, Hal E. Chester, Patricia Moyes
Producer: Daniel Goldberg, Todd Phillips
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: Weinstein Company

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Release:

Apr 17, 2007

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Reviews for School for Scoundrels

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

School for Losers would have made a lot more sense.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
09/21/07
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

...the film remains consistently watchable thanks to Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong's surprisingly clever screenplay and the uniformly effective performances.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
05/11/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

You might want to sign up for study hall instead.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

The only link to the original books is the name Dr P given to the foulmouthed teacher of a New York class offering assertiveness training to pathetic nerds. He's played by Billy Bob Thornton, which is rather like casting Burt Reynolds as Bertrand Russell.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
02/26/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

It's funny at first, but then loses its way so badly that it somehow winds up as a high-tech espionage thriller.

Full Review Source: Independent on Sunday | comment Comment
02/26/07
Nicholas Barber
Nicholas Barber
Independent on Sunday

Only toward the end of the film do the hostilities reach a level of recklessness with any potential to be funny. If things had started at that pitch and been ramped up from there, Phillips might have had a movie worth making.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
02/26/07
Edward Porter
Edward Porter
Sunday Times (UK)

The comic sallies and set-pieces are very much at the wrong end of the bang-whimper spectrum.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
02/23/07
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Billy Bob phones in a below-par performance but still blows his young rival off the screen.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
02/23/07
Johnny Vaughan
Johnny Vaughan
Sun Online

Unlike the original, this version is never sure whether it wants to go to the dark side or not.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
02/23/07
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Wearily spins straw out of its none-too-original premise.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
02/23/07
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph

Charmless, uncomprehending US remake.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/23/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

It's not funny; there were three laughs I counted over the entire course of the movie.

Full Review Source: BBC Radio Five Live | comment Comment
02/23/07
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
BBC Radio Five Live

A choice cast fails to turn this woeful slapstick into the scathing attack on weak minds the film half promises.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
02/23/07
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]

Crass, obvious and largely unfunny - in fact just about everything the original film isn't.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/23/07
Richard Luck
Richard Luck
Channel 4 Film

The characters are one-dimensional, the plot makeshift, and the jokes unrelentingly cruel.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/22/07
Rex Roberts
Rex Roberts
Film Journal International

As a comedy it can never sustain itself, and while there are moments to enjoy, it is all pretty forgettable, which is a shame because the concept remains an amusing one.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
02/22/07
Mark Adams
Mark Adams
Sunday Mirror [UK]

The performances ensure that this is never less than watchable but it's not as clever or as funny as it should have been.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/22/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Ben Stiller cameo apart, something’s wrong when a proven comedic property and two well-matched stars can scarcely raise a titter.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
02/22/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Total Film
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for School for Scoundrels

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After two weeks of rule by Jodie and Milla, the boys come charging back in what could be a fierce fight for the number one spot. With little to no overlap in customers, both... More...

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While sitting on a Comic Con panel, Frank Miller was asked about the hold-up on Sin City 2. (Numerous times, probably.) And it looks like the celebrated author / artist /... More...

April 27, 2007: Sarah Silverman to Host MTV Movie Awards
She might not be all that big of a movie star, but I bet most of you will still be pretty psyched to learn that comic Sarah Silverman will be hosting this year's MTV Movie... More...

February 22, 2007: Critical Consensus: "911" Is A (Mildly Funny) Joke; Count "23" Out
This week at the movies, we've got wacky cops ("Reno 911!: Miami"), numerological tension ("The Number 23," starring Jim Carrey), a rocket man ("The... More...

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