SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS
US, 2006, 95 minutes, Colour.
Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, Ben Stiller, Luis Guzmán.
Directed by Todd Phillips.
Once upon a time there was a modest British comedy (1960) with Ian Carmichael (usually the pleasant foil for the dastardly), Terry Thomas (who could twirl a moustache as the best of pantomime villains) and Alistair Sim (who could be ingenuously or sinisterly dithery). It was called School for Scoundrels. It showed the innocent how they could be really caddish.
Now there is an American remake (why?) with the dorkish Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and the bad-mouthed suave bully Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa).
What can be comic with a British cad fails to cross the Atlantic and the same behaviour seems simply mean-spiritedness combined with an overweening desire for brutal oneupmanship.
This means that this is a very broad comedy of a gawk who enrols in a school for self-assertiveness (at the expense of anyone else) run by a two-timing manipulative exploiter. As they begin to eyeball each other, the results are far from pleasant. It just looks like the worst of American me-firstness. The advertising tagline tells us that nice guys finish last.
It was adapted and directed by Todd Phillips who made the rather crass Old School.
1.Popular American comedy? The touch of nastiness in the characters, issues, domination? Self-assertion?
2.The title, Dr P and his school, the students, paying the five thousand dollars, the confronting lessons, the practical surveillance, the assistant?
3.New York locations, the streets and the buildings, restaurants, the school? Realistic atmosphere? Musical score?
4.The focus on Roger, Jon Heder and his nerdy type, the loser? With the meters? The confrontation with the gang? His lack of self-assertion? His being demoted from Big Brother work? Amanda and his courting her, her not noticing him, her roommates putting him down? His discussions with Walter, the suggestion that he enrol in the school? The money, the wrong envelope? Meeting with Lesher and his dominance? The classes themselves, the group, not allowed to apologise, self-assertion? The interactions with Dr P? The short lesson, the incantations about not being a loser? The philosophy of self-assertion, domination, not letting anyone put anything over the other? The effect, his going out to be tested? The other members of the course, their relationships with Roger?
5.The tests, Lesher giving the group the beepers, the collage of their tests, smashing windscreens, taking food from others? The effect of the bullies on them, putting them down the toilet? Coming back to class to report this?
6.The character of Dr P, Billy Bob Thornton’s style, dominant, humiliating the students? The surveillance? His having an answer for everything? His discussions with Roger, the competitiveness with Roger? The discussions about Amanda? Dr P and calling himself Dennis, taking her out, charming her? The effect on Roger and his seeing them together?
7.Amanda, from Australia, friendly, agreeing to go out with Roger, the outing? Her attraction towards Dr P? The meals? Listening to Roger? Caught between them?
8.The ruining of Amanda’s apartment, the lettering on the wall, on the dog? The calling of the police – and Dr P getting the members of the class to perform as the police? Dr P denying everything?
9.Roger, gradual change, self-assertion, becoming like Dr P? The humiliation of Dr P, coming to the restaurant with Amanda, trying to reveal the truth? The fight?
10.Going to see Lonnie, Ben Stiller and his comic style? His experience of Dr P? Getting Lesher and the comeuppance?
11.The other members of the group, the discussions with them, the plan to stop Amanda going to Miami? The parallel with Lonnie’s story? The coordinating of the manoeuvres? Picking up Amanda, not taking her to the airport? Roger and his confronting Dr P at the airport? Dr P and his praising him, giving him the diploma, Roger changing his mind? Only to find he was at the wrong terminal? Hurrying to the plane, going into the plane, his feigning the collapse (with his history of blacking out)? Challenging Dr P to be a doctor, Amanda watching?
12.Roger and his meeting Dr P, Dr P confessing that everything had collapsed? The potential for Roger to become another Dr P – or not?
13.The moral of the story, playing on self-assertion courses – but the implication that a real man would be dominating in the manner of Dr P?
14.The minor characters, their personalities, taking the course, improving by it? Roger and his counsellor, and Dr P writing the love letter in his name? The reaction? Lesher and his imitating Dr P, surly, dominating? A strange range of characters?
