Old School Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)March 1st, 2003
Old School – Fraternal Brew-ha-ha.
There's a puerile but very funny scene where pledges to a fraternity stand fearfully atop a roof ledge overlooking the ground two stories below. We also see that every pledge is carrying a 30-pound cinder block with a piece of rope that connects this to a fragile body part. And, we suspect that the frat leader who is barking out lines about faith and trust is really just gearing up to command those newbies to "release!"
Will the pledges accept the challenge to see if the string is long enough to avoid a life without the possibility of having children? Well, yes – considering what they might get out of it if they pass. This includes a sense of inclusion, the occasional kinky KY Jelly wrestling match, the allure of sex, and legendary parties that would easily violate noise ordinances and safety codes.
Primarily, "Old School" features the hyped up antics of a fraternity, which becomes a sort of Party Central within an idyllic campus community. Its popularity is fueled by the off-centered activities conceived by three close friends. It is bankrolled by Mitch (Luke Wilson), who is a 30-something attorney. Beanie (Vince Vaughn), is a 30-something owner of an electronics retailer that furnishes the parties with great lights and sound worthy of a concert hall. And Frank (Will Ferrell), is a 30-something irresponsible lunkhead that all wild group events need but no wife would want.
For the most part, the various events put on and its consequences are pretty funny. Meanwhile, their shenanigans attract the ire of intolerant school Dean (Jeremy Priven) who looks for ways to (unsuccessfully) disband the organization. Granted, what you see is purely sophomoric, but a beer or two before the film will reduce that nagging feeling that you are too gown up to enjoy this kind of comedy. It's goofy; it's silly' it's mindless fun.
Despite its 20-something mentality, there is a message that it subtly promotes. Start the fraternity as an outlet for their jaded lives. Beanie realizes that feels that marriage stunts the enthusiasm you had as a youth. Mitch finds commitment an uncharted territory too rocky to traverse. Frank just wants to party. But the irony is that they begin to see that the true meaning of fulfillment is a function of increasing responsibility.
"Yeah, whatever…" is what you're saying to yourself because if you choose to see this film, you're not looking for well-developed characters or drama. In fact, you'll likely forget everybody's name and every comedic sequence and even the title of the film. However, you will find enough to laugh making this a much better option than shoveling snow. And it's tremendously simplistic that this is probably my shortest review ever.
Grade: B-
S: 3 out of 3
L: 2 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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