School for Scoundrels

At a running time of close to two hours, School for Scoundrels is clearly much longer than it has any right to be – although, that being said, there’s little doubt that the film remains consistently watchable thanks to Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong’s surprisingly clever screenplay and the uniformly effective performances. Jon Heder stars as Roger, a timid meter maid whose life improves significantly as he begins attending self-help classes overseen by a vicious figure known only as Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton). Roger’s newfound good fortune comes to end end after Dr. P takes an interest in his would-be girlfriend (Jacinda Barrett’s Amanda), and the two consequently embark on a campaign of one-upmanship and systematic humiliation. Though he’s played his share of misanthropic characters over the last few years (including Bad Santa‘s Willie and Bad News Bears‘ Morris), Thornton – to his credit – avoids the temptation to simply regurgitate his past work and instead offers up an entertainingly mean-spirited performance that proves to be the highlight of the film. Director Phillips has wisely peppered the supporting cast with a whole host of funny folks, including Sarah Silverman, David Cross, and Horatio Sanz, and the movie is generally free of the melodramatic elements that sometimes plague comedies of this ilk. There’s ultimately no question that School for Scoundrels would’ve benefited from some judicious editing, but it’s equally clear that the movie is just about as entertaining and light-hearted as one might’ve hoped.

**1/2 out of ****