Media/Arts

Oct. 5, 2006

‘School for Scoundrels’: something to laugh about

The cliché “Nice guys finish last” exists for a reason. Todd Phillips, director of “School for Scoundrels” (Weinstein), a comedy about a victim of that particular saying, cleverly capitalizes on the angst of a “nice guy” in his most recent film.

Roger is a nice guy. Roger doesn’t have a lot of friends and certainly doesn’t have a girlfriend. Roger, played by Jon Heder — the actor made famous by his role as Napoleon in “Napoleon Dynamite”  — is a self-help enthusiast unsatisfied with his job and life. All that changes when he attends a class taught by Dr. P, played by Billy Bob Thornton, to learn about becoming a predator in his own life.

A comedic lesson on life and love — from an unstable teacher for overly eager students — ensues.

The jokes and plotlines, while often inappropriate, are consistently laugh-out-loud funny. Despite cheap shots and crass comments, there is a substantial amount of entertaining material.

Initially Roger, a 20-something male working as a meter maid in New York City, buys into Dr. P’s lessons on getting exactly what he wants by challenging and taking advantage of the people around him. Roger takes Dr. P’s corrupt lessons into his love life, but Roger hardly executes the immoral rules in the way intended.

Roger’s interpretation of one of the rules, “Be dangerous. It’s cool,” humorously results in him stealing lobsters about to be boiled and killed from a restaurant. His goal? To impress his animal-friendly date Amanda, played by Jacinda Barrett.

Dr. P, who begins to court the object of Roger’s affection, quickly challenges Roger’s fledgling, yet semi-successful dating life.

Dr. P initially defeats Roger using lies and his corrupt rules, but Roger puts up a surprisingly moral fight as the two characters go blow by blow in an all out war for the girl. Roger tries to come clean to Amanda about his scoundrel training, but Dr. P soils his image in her eyes by planting lies about Roger in her mind.

Thornton’s performance as Dr. P provides a slick, suave, worldly and corrupt foil to Heder’s kind and generally moralistic character.

“School for Scoundrels” is predictable, but the film does provide a few surprises. The dialogue and acting are often cheesy, but the character’s seriousness about “scoundrel training” is what allows the film to achieve convincing comedy.

Many of Dr. P’s views, especially regarding women and morality, are crude to say the least. Some of the side plotlines and running jokes are unnecessarily crass, but most of the humor employed in the script is harmless and, at times, genuinely hilarious.

While many of the characters in the film verbally endorse a lifestyle of lying, cheating and general abuse of others, by the end of the film the men that reject that lifestyle are successful. “School for Scoundrels” does not send a clear moral message, but the message is there.

Heder’s character buys into a superficial and worldly lifestyle and is punished for doing so. It is only by seeking the truth and being honest about who he is — a “nice guy” and good person — that he is successful in life and love.

Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mails to letters@catholicsun.org.

School for Scoundrels

The film includes some explicit language, themes and crass and sexual humor, premarital relationships and violence for the sake of comedy.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.