“Old School” Starring Will Ferrell, Luke
Wilson, Vince Vaughn Directed by Todd Phillips
Watching “Old School” will guarantee any UCLA
student a good time. More often than not you’ll spend a good
portion of the flick trying to scope out the campus locales used
when it was filmed here last February. However, the film itself has
some merit too. Behold Mitch Martin (played by Luke Wilson),
corporate drone who returns early from a business trip to discover
live-in girlfriend Heidi (a briefly humorous Juliette Lewis) is a
little too sexually experimental for his tastes. What better remedy
can his friends Beanie and Frank (Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell,
respectively) devise but to move their recently screwed-over buddy
onto a college campus? Seriously, people; where else can a guy get
his fill of booze, antics and girls? Okay, the plot appears to be
lacking a bit, but this is one of those movies where viewers
won’t be asking those pesky questions regarding reality. Just
put it this way: at least it’s not “Daredevil.”
For anyone who hasn’t at least seen the previews, Will
Ferrell is the reason to see this film. This is Ferrell’s
first major foray into film following his tenure at Saturday Night
Live and he doesn’t disappoint. He easily shows off his comic
virtuosity with slapstick, straight humor and black comedy. And
sure the film’s R-rating guarantees a Ferrell-brand
butt-shot; but it works. Who among us can deny the man’s raw
animal magnetism? Vaughn and Ferrell create a comical Yin-Yang
dynamic on-screen reminiscent of their time together when Vaughn
hosted SNL. However, co-star Wilson spends most of his time
wallowing in self-pity, dealing with things like true love rather
than indulging. He’s the one character stuck with a
conscience in this film, and it hinders more than helps. Out of
boredom, viewers will invariably notice how much he sounds just
like “Shanghai” sidekick brother Owen. Although Todd
Phillips obviously looked to such cult films as “Animal
House” and “Fight Club” for inspiration, this
project falls flat in a way the others didn’t. Phillips
failed to use a strong ensemble cast for all they were worth,
including Craig Kilborn of “The Late Late Show with Craig
Kilborn” Artie Lange of “The Howard Stern Show/ Mad
TV,” Matt Walsh of “Upright Citizen’s Brigade/
The Daily Show,” and Maxim-hottie Leah Remini of “The
King of Queens.” Still, the movie is what it is, which is a
good time. In a time where most comedies stick with a PG-13 rating
for the money, director Phillips manages to keep the adult part of
“adult-comedy” intact. “Old School” is a
good date movie ““ as long as your date’s got a sense of
humor. –Chris Cobb
The Life of David Gale Starring Kevin Spacey, Kate
Winslet and Laura Linney Directed by Alan Parker
At first glance, “The Life of David Gale” seems like
one of those movies destined to choke in its own pretentiousness.
It stars Oscar winner Kevin Spacey and Oscar nominees Kate Winslet
and Laura Linney. It’s directed by Oscar nominee Alan Parker,
the man who managed to coax an amazing performance out of Madonna
in 1996’s “Evita”. And it’s a shamelessly
bleeding-heart liberal epic that takes a stand firmly against the
death penalty. Indeed, in the first hour, it seems to be simply a
routine man-on-death-row yarn. Story-journalist Bitsey Bloom
(Winslet) is dispatched to Texas to interview David Gale (Spacey),
former college psychology professor and activist for Deathwatch, an
anti-death penalty group. Gale is to be executed in three days for
the brutal rape and murder of fellow activist Constance Hallaway
(Linney). Gale maintains he’s innocent, and Bitsey, despite
her suspicions, starts to believe him. Gale’s got a lot going
against and, well, it’s Texas. If you’re going to kill
someone, don’t do it in Texas. It soon becomes clear that
Gale is not telling the whole truth ““ or is he? The film
improves immensely as Parker picks up the pace, unravelling the
story in layers, leading viewers to believe something, and then
disproving them. No one is what they seem. The film’s tension
mounts as Bitsey races against time to discover the truth and save
Gale. Winslet turns in a nicely modulated performance, though her
role is actually smaller than the previews imply. The film wisely
avoids throwing in a romance between Winslet and her intern, Zack
(Gabriel Mann). Instead, it concentrates on the relationship
between Spacey, who’s fantastic as usual, and Linney, one of
the most under-appreciated actresses working today. My only quibble
about the acting is that no one seems to have a Texan accent, but I
guess that’s because they’re educated. The film
culminates with a gut-wrenching revelation that’s the most
shocking plot twist since the Sixth Sense’s “Sometimes
they don’t know they’re dead” jaw-dropper.
Although the film gets a bit sanctimonious at times, it succeeds in
making you question your beliefs, even as it shows how futile
efforts to change society can be. It’s a disturbing yet
deeply moving film whose message, hopefully, will resonate long
after the credits roll. –Johanna Davy