School for Scoundrels (2006)

Director:

Todd Phillips

Writers (WGA):

Todd Phillips (screenplay) &
Scot Armstrong (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Too nice? Too honest? Too *you*? Help is on the way.

Plot:

A young guy short on luck, enrolls in a class to build confidence to help win over the girl of his dreams, which becomes complicated when his teacher has the same agenda.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Tennis | Paintball Gun | Helicopter | Pepper Spray

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Dr. P
Jon Heder	...	Roger
Jacinda Barrett	...	Amanda
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Lesher
Sarah Silverman	...	Becky
David Cross	...	Ian
Matt Walsh	...	Walsh
Horatio Sanz	...	Diego
Todd Louiso	...	Eli
Jon Glaser	...	Ernie
Paul Scheer	...	Little Pete
Ben Stiller	...	Lonnie
Luis Guzmán	...	Sergeant Moorehead
Dan Fogler	...	Zack
DeRay Davis	...	Bee Bee

Also Known As:

The Better Man (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, crude and sexual content, and some violence.

Runtime:

100 min | USA:108 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-7 | USA:Not Rated (unrated version) | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Ben Stiller's cameo was shot in 2 days in California because he was not able to fly to New York for filming due to a scheduling conflict.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the movie, after Dr. P drops the defibrillator paddles on Roger, he is seen shaking like he has been shocked even though only one paddle is on him and the other can be seen on the ground. The circuit would be open the second the other paddle is not touching his body.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Dr. P: Lie, lie, and lie some more.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Tony Danza Show" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Blue Orchid

Scoundrel is synonymous with Thornton, Heder is unusual choice for a leading man

Roger (Jon Heder) is a wimpy parking meter attendant for NYC. After losing his uniform to thieves on the job and being dumped from the big brother program, he is despondent. Add to this his unrequited crush on a beautiful neighbor named Amanda (Jacinda Barrett), and you have a man on the proverbial ropes. However, a well-meaning friend gives him information about a secret class in male self-esteem, run by the harsh Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton). In class and on outings, Dr. P uses tough tactics to turn his unfortunate students into successful men. But, what happens when Dr. P decides to put the moves on Amanda, after a chance meeting? Does Roger have what it takes to thwart Dr P's efforts and win Amanda for himself? This is a fairly nice but easily disposable film. Thornton is, of course, a natural choice for the scoundrel teacher and he delivers a good-and-slimy performance. Barrett is beautiful and touching as the love interest, adding greatly to the film's enjoyment. Heder, although a good comic performer, seems all wrong as a romantic lead. But, perhaps it is a bit refreshing for someone without the knockout good looks to go for broke in the love department. Ben Stiller has a fine cameo as a wacko ex-student of Dr. P. The setting in NYC and the costumes are nice. All in all, the film is a satisfying view for a rainy day. But, it doesn't seem like a movie that will be remembered or talked about five years down the road.