Der Date Profi

Jon Heder, dialing down the gawkiness of his breakthrough role in Napoleon Dynamite, stars as Roger, a spineless New York City meter maid prone to panic attacks and being picked on. He can't even muster the nerve to ask out the girl next door, Amanda, a warm-hearted Australian. Roger hits bottom when he's dumped (again) as a big brother, leading him to a secretive, cash-only class taught by Thornton's Dr. P, a self-styled self-help guru who shows weak men how to unleash their "inner lion." This films has an interesting story and premise but isn't all that great and it seems very usual compared to other films. At times it seems like it doesn't know what type of comedy it wants to be. Is it a black comedy that isn't dark enough? Or a dumb comedy that isn't stupid enough, or a gross-out comedy that isn't yucky enough? Or is it really just a romance comedy that isn't sweet enough? It starts out as a silly comedy then turns into a romantic comedy and ends that way. The film could have been much better but it wasn't so bad. Not very funny either. Decent and watchable film.

"School for Scoundrels" tells the well worn story of a pushover who learns to become more assertive so that he can take charge of his life and finally get the girl. I didn't realize that the film was a remake but the fact that I found it hackneyed to begin with gives an idea of the level of originality we're dealing with here.

The cast contains a number of talented and funny individuals but they are unfortunately let down by the material. Looking at the cast list it's difficult to believe that the film is as mediocre as it is. The script just doesn't deliver the goods comedically and the story's too unoriginal to grab your attention. The technical aspect is no better than average either but I must admit that the soundtrack was pretty nifty.

In the end, I can only recommend this flick if you're absolutely starved for some comedy. There's little to be had here though those who don't mind clichéd stories may appreciate it more than I have.

This is a fun movie that offers exactly what the previews promise and a little more. John Heder does a great job as does Billy Bob Thornton. The only drawback of the plot is that we've seen it a million times before if you watch this genre of movie. Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) plays an overbearing and obnoxious school teacher teaching Roger (John Heder) and the other students how not to be wimps. The purpose of the course backfires when Roger finds out Dr. P does not like to be outdone. This movie could be compared to any comedy where the underdog must overcome the odds to win the girl. Regardless of the predictable plot, the comedy is clever and fun. This movie is worth seeing in the theater. The previews are faithful, but don't give away all of the humor. The humor is consistent throughout and it doesn't leave you tapping you fingers or looking at your watch.

I saw a preview yesterday, and the movie is very funny in parts. I laughed so hard I cried a couple of times. On the other hand, there are times when the movie seems to drag on too long. In my opinion, this movie is two stories in one - and one works great, and the other not so much. The whole school for scoundrels thing is hysterical. Any scene with Heder and his buddies had the audience roaring. Jon Glaser was my favorite - will somebody get this guy his own movie, please?! But everything outside that was definitely not on the same level. Even the brilliant Ben Stiller, Sara Silverman and David Cross didn't work nearly as well, nor did the scenes of competition between Heder and Thornton. It's still worth seeing for the scenes that do work with his buddies though, as you don't get to laugh that hard too often. - Mikeontheriver

Went to preview screening last night and was pleasantly amused for the first hour but then it just went downhill. Jon Heder's performance is pretty much flat, not bad in any way except that it does nothing to beyond what was on the page. This is typical of most of the cast who seem to be engaged in some sort of paint by numbers exercise. Even Billy Bob Thorton who is well cast as a drill instructor for losers loses steam. Todd Luiso, best known for the wimpy employee in High Fidelity is probably the only actor that manages to turn in something worthy of appreciation. There is an oneupmanship sequence reminiscent of "Rushmore" but only serves to make one wish they were watching that instead. Wait till it's in the video store and you have trouble agreeing what to rent and need something bland.