How We Rated This Film TC Candler - B- Richard Propes - C Jacob Hall - D

TC Candler's Comment

I enjoyed the film, slight as it was.  There is nothing particularly substantial here... it is merely amusing enough to merit a recommendation.  I think Jon Heder plays "pathetic loser" better than almost anyone.  I think Billy Bob makes a terrific scoundrel.  And Jacinda Barrett is spot on as the idyllic girl next door that every guy would love to date.  It ain't Shakespeare... but it is a nice rom-com, deserving of a place in the pantheon of good date movies.

Richard Propes' Comment

I like Jon Heder.  Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying he's a brilliant actor...he's not.  I'm not saying he's anywhere near one of my favorites in cinema. In fact, I would never go see a film simply because it was advertised "Jon Heder film."

I'm simply saying "I like Jon Heder." The BYU film student was paid $1,000 for his break-out role in "Napoleon Dynamite," and since that time has practically cornered the market on loveable losers.

Heder is a faithful Mormon and, from what I hear, quite a nice guy whose values have not been compromised by his modest film success.

I like, respect and enjoy Heder.

Jon Heder, however, was miscast as a foil to Billy Bob Thornton in "School for Scoundrels," a film based upon a novel by Stephen Potter.

Heder portrays Roger, a young guy who is so timid, so nice and such a pushover that he doesn't even qualify as a loser. Heder, in reality, pulls off early Roger quite nicely. It's reminiscent of his performance in the almost embarrassingly goofy "The Benchwarmers," in which Heder donned a protective helmet to play an obviously slow, still living at home young man who was, say it with me, a loveable loser.

In this film, however, Heder experiences a transformation throughout the film that becomes increasingly unconvincing as Heder is transformed from an insecure, wimpy pushover to a risk-taking, assertive and semi-confident man after taking a class designed to teach him confidence and turn him into a lion taught by Dr. P (Thornton) and his sidekick, Lescher (Michael Clarke Duncan).

The class seems to be working, and Roger asks the object of his affection, Amanda (Jacinda Barrett), out on a date despite the constant harassment of her roommate (Sarah Silverman).

What Roger doesn't realize, of course, is the more successful he becomes the more competitive Dr. P becomes. Thus, the roar of the lions begins and, unfortunately, this is where the charm and humor in the film largely ends.

As the two begin one-upping each other, the situations turn from humorous to downright vicious, and Heder, unconvincing as a more assertive Roger, simply can't keep pace with Thornton, practically the master at this sort of darkly comic, one-upping, stab you in the back and smile about it character.

In a year in which darkly comic and biting films like "Borat" and "Thank You for Smoking" have experienced box-office success while perfectly blending social satire, outrageous comedy and walking the cinematic tightrope of taste, "School for Scoundrels," directed by Todd Phillips ("Starsky & Hutch" and "Old School"), often feels like a mismanaged, safe and bland addition to the dark comedy sub-genre.

The Phillips version of risk-taking seems to exist only in 2-3 references to anal rape involving Lescher, references that never seem to go anywhere and are too vague to be effective.

Supporting characters are too thinly developed to really be effective, particularly Roger's classmates including Walsh (Matt Walsh), Diego (Horatio Sanz) and Eli (Todd Louiso). Louiso again reminds why he's one of the more dependable supporting actors, and may very well have been a more logical choice for the lead role.

With almost no chemistry to speak of, both Heder and Jacinda Barrett feel awkward in their scenes together. To Barrett's credit, she manages to portray a sort of innocent, girl-next door image that makes the attraction semi-believable. Silverman, on the other hand, is given almost nothing to do and does, well, almost nothing. A brief appearance by Ben Stiller as Lonnie, one of Dr. P's previous victims, is portrayed way too cartoonish and is completely out of place in the film.

"School for Scoundrels" isn't a particularly awful film...not at all. It simply falls far short of its potential, and feels like a wasted opportunity to make 2006's third fantastic dark comedy. Instead, it becomes yet another in a long line of 2006's remarkably unfunny comedies.

A strong performance by Thornton, a nice turn by Todd Louiso and the lovely Jacinda Barrett will make "School for Scoundrels" a decent DVD rental when it's released in the near future.