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By
MELINA GEORGIS
Shocked after discovering
that his girlfriend has being unfaithful, a man in
his thirties (Luke Wilson) decides, along with his
post-college friends (Will Ferrell and Vince
Vaughn) to form an unorthodox fraternity for
grown-ups: They move into a large house near their
old college campus, where they think they'll be
able to enjoy partying without having to follow
any rules.
Yes, it is an attempt to create a sequel of sorts
to that inexplicably seminal comedy of raunch,
"Animal House." Unlike its predecessor, however,
any raunchiness here is rather innocuous. It's not
so much the film's fault as our culture's
evolution. While I don't necessarily understand
why "Animal House" has such a strong cult
following, it was rather shocking for its time.
But now there are reality shows on TV that have
pulled all the stops. No film can really do them
one better, even one that features a blow-up sex
doll on its DVD cover. Even the unrated version
(it features a little more nudity and a more
explicit menu) is too good natured to compete in
the crude-and-bawdy department with bizarre
creations like "Jackass." Indeed, the ending is
quite old-fashioned and -- dare I say it? --
conservative.
Where the DVD really shines is in its collection
of extras: The commentary from the stars and
director is full of funny riffs. Add an "Inside
the Actors Studio" spoof with Ferrell doing double
duty as the "actor" Will Ferrell and the
pompous interviewer treating "Old School" as a
nascent classic and these two features are worthy
of the DVD price alone. But wait, there's more:
there are several deleted scenes and bloopers and
outtakes, a 13-minute making-off featurette,
trailers, a photo gallery and filmographies.
Skip the film if you like, but do check out the
extras. This is one case where the supplemental
materials are the main attraction. besides, if
you're like me you can watch absolutely anything
with Vince Vaughn in it. |
