Salt Lake Tribune Review
By Sean P. Means
The Salt Lake Tribune
If you loved "Napoleon Dynamite," then it's a pleasure to report
Jon Heder's progress as a comic actor continues in the sharp comedy "School for Scoundrels."
If you hated "Napoleon Dynamite," you'll be happy to know that in "School for Scoundrels,"
Billy Bob Thornton spends much of the movie treating Heder the way a dog treats an old sock.
Heder plays Roger, a New York parking-enforcement officer who is tired of being treated like a doormat by co-workers and car-owners who receive the tickets he writes. Mostly, he wants to get up the courage to talk to his pretty neighbor, Amanda (
Jacinda Barrett). A friend tells him about this continuing-education course for wusses like him, taught by the mysterious Dr. P.
Dr. P. (Thornton) teaches Roger and his classmates -- a motley bunch of wimps that includes such semi-familiar faces as Horatio Sanz ("Saturday Night Live"),
Matt Walsh ("Dog Bites Man") and
Todd Louiso ("High Fidelity") -- how to be assertive. But when Roger seems to be learning the lessons too fast, Dr. P. starts making his own moves on Amanda. This sends Roger seeking revenge, and seeking out a former student (
Ben Stiller) once broken by Dr. P. and his hulking assistant Lesher (
Michael Clarke Duncan).
Director
Todd Phillips (co-writing with Todd Armstrong) knows how to make stupid comedy feel smart -- check out "Old School" as an example -- but here he also shows a talent for making smart humor as funny as stupid. The escalating war between Roger and Dr. P. takes some alarming and hilarious turns, made even funnier by the sweet-and-sour pairing of the devilish Thornton (who even gets a veiled barb at his ex,
Angelina Jolie) and nice-guy Heder.
Barrett, so strong in "The Last Kiss," unfortunately is reduced to the standard girlfriend role, upstaged not only by the guys but by
Sarah Silverman as her acerbic roommate. But "School for Scoundrels" is a guy's movie, a comic battle of dueling manhood. The surprise is that Heder, both in his comedy and his machismo, came fully loaded.
The rundown: Jon Heder expands his range past “Napoleon Dynamite,” matching wits with an assertiveness-training teacher (
Billy Bob Thornton) in this sharp comedy. 100 minutes. (S.P.M.)
Synopsis: Roger is a beleaguered New York City meter maid who is plagued by anxiety and low self-esteem. In order to overcome his feelings of inadequacy, Roger enrolls in a top-secret confidence-building class taught by the suavely underhanded Dr. P. Aided by his assistant, Lesher, Dr. P uses unorthodox, often dangerous methods, but he guarantees results: Employ his techniques and you will unleash your inner lion. Surrounded by a band of misfit classmates-- Walsh, who's dying to move out of mother's basement; Diego, a punching bag for his hen-pecker of a wife; and Eli, a shy guy just looking for female companionship--Roger's confidence grows and he makes his way to the head of the class, even finding the courage to ask out his longtime crush, Amanda. But Roger quickly discovers that star students have a way of catapulting Dr. P's competitive side into high gear. Soon enough, the teacher sets out to infiltrate and destroy Roger's personal and professional life. Nothing is off limits for Dr. P, not even the object of Roger's affection. In order to show Amanda Dr. P's true colors, Roger must rally his new friends and find a way to beat the master at his own game.
