I have seen "Old School," and it is us. From every fiber of its plot to every part of our collective Rugby Road-going soul, "Old School" calls out to us, drawing us in to its web of frat debauchery. For every little outlandish detail of this movie at which we cringe, we know the truth, that "Old School" is Our School.
The parallels between "Old School" and U.Va. are striking. They have Will Ferrell running naked down the street; we have the time-honored sprint to Homer. They have party performances by Snoop Dogg; we have shows from Friday night frat staple "The Bureau." They have hundreds of empty Solo cups; we have thousands of empty Solo cups.
The plot of "Old School" is simple and inconsequential. Two guys try to console their buddy when he finds that his girlfriend is living an alternative sexual lifestyle behind his back. They quickly discover that the party life is great, and start their own fraternity to legitimize their new hobby. They take up new pledges, try their hand at hazing, and throw some amazing parties, all the while trying to live their normal adult lives.
Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Ferrell lead the cast as the three thirty-something frat-guys. Wilson is serviceable in his role as Mitch, the straight man to Vaughn's plotting and Ferrell's partying, but his role doesn't give him much to do. His job is simply to sit there and look slightly confused while the action revolves around him, and he does it well. (He and his brother Owen seem to be making entire careers out of looking puzzled).
Vaughn is great as the sleazy family man and best friend of Mitch. In his first good role since "Swingers," Vaughn's inherent likeability shines. Vaughn's best scene is his first, during Ferrell's wedding. While standing at the alter as best man, he begs Ferrell to run away from the ceremony, even as the bride is walking down the aisle towards him. His riff on the perils of sex with one woman forever is hilarious, and carries even more weight when his thoughts on the doomed romance prove correct.
As good as Wilson and Vaughn are, "Old School" belongs to Will Ferrell and Will Ferrell alone. His role as Frank the newlywed (formerly Frank the Tank, party god) is amazingly executed by the longtime Saturday Night Live performer. It is his scenes that have people talking about "Old School," and for good reason.
Ferrell's hilarious moments are numerous, but tops among them are his antics at the first party. He politely declines the opportunity to drink, saying he "has a big Saturday" coming up. But once the frat boys talk him into a beer bong, he is hooked back in to his old lifestyle. And how can we blame him? Who among us has not been eerily drawn by the siren song of the beer bong, pulling us into her world of fast beers and lost memories?
Once Ferrell and the beer bong have become intimately connected, his decision to streak down Main Street alone only to be discovered by his wife is hilarious and understandable to the average U.Va. student. Nothing goes together better on a Saturday night on Grounds than alcohol and naked running.
Unfortunately for us, "Old School" cannot avoid a few flaws that keep it from reaching "Animal House" status. First, it simply can't keep up the momentum that it develops early on in the film. The end is funny, but nowhere near the hilarity evoked in the great parade conclusion of "Animal House."
The film also is flawed in that it painfully miscast Jeremy Piven as the obligatory evil dean. He is way too young for the role and just doesn't ever look right. Don't get me wrong; I love Piven and think his "PCU" is one of the great overlooked movies of the 1990s, but he is not the right choice here. A quick check of IMDB.com shows that the perfect choice for the role, Dean Wormer from "Animal House," is still alive, and only 70-years-young. Surely he was available to put Will Ferrell on "Double Secret Probation."
All in all, "Old School" is worth your eight bucks. Will Ferrell is hilarious and the film never drags too long without a laugh. Let's just all hope that this movie doesn't lead to a leading role for Ferrell like it did for Jack Black, because Ferrell deserves better than his own "Shallow Hal."
4/5
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