Adeline Chong
Do you own a self-help book? Do you wet your pants trying to chat up a girl? If you do, then this movie is about you.
There’s no other word for Roger but ‘loser’. Set in the heart of New York City, Roger, played by the critically acclaimed Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite stars in School for Scoundrels as a parking attendant plagued by anxiety attacks and almost zero self-confidence. In hopes of becoming spunkier person, Roger signs up for a top-secret confidence-building class, landing him in the hands of the suave Dr. P, played by academy award-winning actor, Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa, Monster’s Ball).
Billy Bob fits the role perfectly; as a picture of the ideal alpha male; he’s successful, confident and he can get any girl he wants. Dr. P. stands between somewhere between a genius self-help teacher and a scam artist. Dr. P’s right-hand man is Lesher, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who is famous for his impressive performance in The Green Mile. Lesher helps Dr. P carry out his unorthodox and often dangerous classes. Roger’s misfit classmates are played by members of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, a comedy theater group based in New York.
The fact that the actors are already friends and frequent co-stars made them very comfortable and natural on screen. The class, a group of reject cabbies facing pathetic situations in life, consists of some familiar faces such as Horatio Sanz (Saturday Night Live), Matt Walsh (Old School) and Todd Louiso (That Thing You Do).
The characters’ different demeanors up the show’s humour quotient. Eventually, Roger excels in the class. He learns to overcome his low self-esteem and even asks his friend, Amanda, played by Jacinda Barett (Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason) out on a date. But soon after, Roger discovers that star students have a way of spurring on Dr. P’s competitive side. Dr. P begins to challenge Roger’s success as a person. Nothing is off limits for Dr. P, not even Amanda, and very soon teacher and student start a full-fledged war, both out to destroy each other’s personal and professional life.
The tennis scene, where Roger gatecrashes the game and thrashes Dr. P with the tennis ball and later his racquet, got the audience roaring with laughter. In the end, Mr. Nice Guy is forced to shed his skin to beat the alpha male at his own game and win back the affection of Amanda. Based on the 1960 British film of the same title, School for Scoundrels brings writers Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong back together. The two co-wrote the hit comedies Road Trip, Old School and Starsky & Hutch. School for Scoundrels gives great insight to the male gender and is a hilarious watch. The romance at the core of this film is in no way cheesy, which is a real plus.
The cast also put up superb acting. Billy Bob’s poker face makes you anticipate loads of sarcasm, and he doesn’t disappoint. “There are two types of men in the world, those who run shit like me, and those who eat shit like you.”
But what you’ll love most about the movie is how you’ll be able to relate to the Roger in you. Jon Heder successfully weaves innocence into his character such that you’ll find yourself rooting for the ‘loser’. Finally, Roger closes the movie with his last meeting with Dr P, saying, “Well, you know what they tell you – those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” School for Scoundrels makes the loser the hero and teaches you that nice guys don’t finish last.
Rating 4 out of 5 stars
Movie Details
Opens: 4 January 2007
Running Time: 102 min
Rating: PGCast: Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, Jacinda Barrett
Director: Todd Phillips