Old School

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

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.

Caught a preview showing last night, and I'm a little surprised myself to report that the aptly named Old School is actually a welcome return to a formula all but abandoned by Hollywood for much of the past couple of decades - that of the unapologetic, raucous, cheap laughs for cheap-laughs sake, male-bonding fraternity picture. It is Animal House. It is Porky's. It is every cliche one comes to expect from such a picture - from wild frat house parties to girls wrestling in KY jelly. And, strangely enough, it delivers... with a good cast and a fresh twist. For the group of guys that assemble to start the fraternity that is the heart of Old School are all in their early to mid thirties. They are family men. They are husbands. They are fathers. They are boyfriends involved in serious relationships. They have all grown up.

Or so thought Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson), the "Godfather" of this return to the dorm comedy. When Mitch returns from a business trip to find that his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis) has been hiding from him a rather unnerving secret sex life, the guy begins to question the choices he's made in his life. And his friends are there to help. Best friend and self-made successful businessman Beanie (played with perfect comic timing by Vince Vaughn) suggests they take advantage of Mitch's new found freedom and start a fraternity. And it isn't long before every disillusioned and disenfranchised thirtysomething wants to join - to either recreate their days of reckless youth, or finally belong after years of being an outsider.

Among such misanthropes is Frank the Tank, a character that Will Ferrell makes his own. Literally baring all for the camera, Ferrell, like Saturday night live alum John Belushi before him, plays the wild but affable frat brother - the sad clown, the loveable loser. Ferrell gets all the best lines, but a few are reserved for the sardonic Vaughn. Wilson, to his credit, plays it straight, and the supporting cast (including Leah Remini, Artie Lange, and even the usually annoying Andy Disk in a hilarious cameo) is quite good.

Certainly, Old School is not Oscar material. It's not meant to be. And it makes no pretension to comedy of the kind that My Big Fat Greek wedding brought back into vogue. This is not a feel-good romantic comedy. But it is also not to be dismissed as some insipid throwaway college romp. Old School is intentionally sophomoric (all the more so, as it is director Todd Phillips' second big studio comedy). It is genuinely funny in parts, and a healthy hour and a half return to those days of reckless abandon that many of us dreamt we either had back - or had had in the first place.

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.

"Old School" is a nutty comedy about three friends starting a fraternity. It's a comedy in the same vein as "Animal House," "Porky's Revenge," or "Road Trip," which are about hormonal young males drinking, partying, and having sex, except the hormonal males in "Old School" aren't exactly young---which makes it all the more hilarious. By all rights, they shouldn't have a fraternity nor should they be in one. Beanie (Vince Vaughn) was married with two kids, Frank (Will Ferrell) was a newlywed, and Mitch (Luke Wilson) just got out of a committed relationship. They were all 30+ and their partying days should've been behind them. Yet they started a fraternity in Mitch's new home as a means of making sure that the house, that was near the college campus, remained committed to campus related activities.

Necessity is the mother of inventions.

Their fraternity was unique in that it was a blend of students at the nearby college and adult non-students of varying ages. Blue (Patrick Cranshaw) was close to 90!!

The whole thing was a gas. This was just silly fun you couldn't help but laugh at.