Film gives fresh edge to old tricks

By Nicole Rodriguez

Most studios think they know teenagers. They throw a bunch of overly-cliched gross-out moments together in a script, call it a teen comedy, and expect it to do well. The makers of DreamWorks' latest release, "Old School," however have a different approach to the genre.

Truth be told, "Old School" is not the most original of premises. It stars Luke Wilson as Mitch, the stereotypical nice guy who comes home one night to find his girlfriend in bed with multiple other men.

Devastated, Mitch goes to his closest friends (Will Ferrell of "Saturday Night Live" and Vince Vaughn of "Swingers") to help him heal his wounded soul.

Their solution?

To help Mitch relive his glory days by starting a new fraternity that includes not only Mitch and his buddies, but also everyone from students at the local college to an 89 year-old man.

The difference between "Old School" and the waste-of-time flicks is that "Old School" actually has the potential to be funny, and it doesn't need to throw in jokes about body fluids to do it.

Ferrell, of course, is entertaining, given the fact that he has so much experience in the stand-up arena. But the delightful surprise in the film actually comes from Wilson and Vaughn, who prove to have real talent in the comedic genre.

Also included in the cast is Jeremy Piven ("Serendipity"), who steals scenes in his small role as the geek turned dean out to end Mitch's fraternity for good.

"Old School" is not the funniest movie ever made, nor is it the flick to see if you're interested in deep characters and high quality filmmaking.

However, writer/director Todd Phillips makes a valiant effort that does succeed in multiple laugh out-loud moments.

The bottom line is that the filmmakers here have attempted to create a comedy that plays to teenagers instead of playing down to them. It may not be perfect, but "Old School" should definitely be commended for its effort.