Old School - Wir lassen absolut nichts anbrennen

A man in his mid-thirties is restless, disheartened, and fed up with life in general after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend. He moves into a house on a college campus where, against his better judgment but with the persuasion of his equally depressed, unhappily married buddies, he starts an unofficial fraternity. To their surprise, the fraternity turns into a huge success that allows the three of them to recapture the spirit of their beloved college years. Intentionally goofy, college-oriented comedy from the director of Road Trip is uneven at times, but the cast is good and there are often some very funny moments. **½

Like many others, I heard a lot of buzz about "Old School" before it was released. Things like "it's the new animal house" or "an instant classic". Well, unfortunately that didn't turn out to be the case. However, that doesn't mean its a bad movie. In fact, I loved it and would highly recommend it.

As someone in the same age group as the main characters, perhaps I related too much, but the idea is great: Three 30-something guys who are solidly on the path of a normal, mature life (marriage, kids, real job, etc...) decide to start a fraternity and recapture their college glory days. No, there's no real reason to do this, and no, its not realistic at all.

But who cares? Anyone who has ever been to a raging college party, done a few beer bongs and whippits, screamed along with some loud music, and hooked up with a random coed can immediately relate to this film. Not to mention there really are some gut-busting funny scenes throughout. Luke Wilson is the perfect actor for the steady, reserved professional guy. Will Ferrell is hilarious of course, and Vince Vaughn does what he does so well, playing the instigator trying to help a best friend have fun again. Unfortunately one of his funniest scenes only made it to the deleted scenes section of the DVD.

Which brings me to my main gripe with this movie: what was left on the cutting room floor. The deleted scenes, which can be seen on the DVD of course, aren't just trivial sections that you can understand were cut, some of them are classic. The movie was only an hour and a half long, and for the life of me I can't figure out why the 10 minutes of deleted footage didn't remain. I think some of them really would've changed the entire feel of the movie. The last act kind of changes into this "Rushmore"-ish Wes Anderson knock off, and I think at least a few of the deleted scenes would've helped it make more sense.

Despite that, this movie ranks alongside Dumb & Dumber, Meet the Parents, Kingpin, and American Pie as one of the best comedies of the last decade or so in my humble opinion. No it's not a classic, but it will stand the test of time as a very good comedy that you'll laugh at with each replay.

Much like the tradition of the raunchy flicks of the 80s, Old School encompasses the age old tradition of tactless and tasteless film creation. Buy the oddity of the situation, this is one of those films I can tolerate. Mid-life malaise couldn't have been drawn better in the lives of Mitch, Frank and Beanie. Men who serve no purpose in society, especially to their significant others. But that's the significance of the frat house. No, it isn't about being drunk and hitting on 19-year-old girls, its about reaffirming your role in society and making the inner soul feel good and relaxed. So, say what you want about the random nudity and cussing, this film is a life affirming film for all men hitting their 30s.

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadger

First off, this comedy is hilarious. The story is easy to follow, simple, and full of funny jokes and hilarious gags. I thought this film was genuinely funny and I truly enjoyed it. The characters are all funny and are all likeable.

The acting is very good. Luke Wilson is by far the best. He is a likeable, funny, and good-hearted man looking for a fresh start. Vince Vaughn is also hilarious. His one-liners are always well timed. Will Ferrell plays a weird and sometime socially awkward man who at times can be very funny. I found his character to be the weakest and at times he was really annoying. Jeremy Piven's character is not well developed and very, very annoying.

The pacing is a little slow and the runtime is overlong.

Pros: Hilarious story, good jokes, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn are both hilarious, and most the characters are likeable

Cons: Some slow pacing, an overlong runtime, Jeremy Piven and his bad performance, and Will Ferrell's character is a little annoying

Overall Rating: 7.0

Sure, you could watch "Anchorman" or "Elf" or "Wedding Crashers"... but if you want real Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell action, you want to see "Old School".

A group of 30-year old men turn a house into a fraternity to recapture their days of beer-drinking and women-catching. But once the dean finds out, it becomes an all out war between these men and the establishment.

The cast is perfect: besides Wilson and Ferrell, you have Vince Vaughn, Elisha Cuthbert, that girl from "Rushmore", Jeremy Piven, and a variety of other cameos. Even James Carville, who is just about the last person you expect to appear in a sophomoric comedy of this type. Well, second to last: Robert Novak would have been stranger.

I have no complaints to make about this film. If you're familiar with the work of these gentlemen, you know what you're getting already. And this is the cream of the crop. If you like their other movies and not this one, I think you're probably out of your mind or on some mind-altering drug like Ketamine. Because how can you not appreciate this? Oh, and it has Terry O'Quinn and Snoop Dogg. Seriously, watch it.