School for Scoundrels

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Uproarious and unexpectedly biting.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

The romance is the movie's least interesting element. But Heder's low-key, surprising charm and Thorton's gleeful wickedness at least glide the film in for a landing. You'll enjoy yourself.

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) is a classy, cool brand of vile--the demented drill sergeant in a designer suit. And Heder, cast in the role of the invisible man, is fine too. The movie wouldn't work without someone as nondescript as Heder.

Los Angeles Times Robert Abele

This is a modest education-of-a-punching-bag entertainment with a kind of breezily rude compatibility -- a hallmark of sorts for both co-writer/director Todd Phillips ("Road Trip," "Starsky & Hutch") and the wonderful actor assigned to play the self-help instructor from hell, Billy Bob Thornton.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Director Todd Phillips has become Hollywood's go-to guy for collegiate humor, and though this isn't as funny as his "Road Trip," "Old School," or "Starsky & Hutch," there are some choice sequences of the devious Thornton schooling his milquetoast students.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

As usual, Thornton remains fully committed to the performance. Viewers could make a game of scanning his face for even the slightest hint of warmth. By the end of the film, that may be the surest source of entertainment.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Clearly enamored with the endearing brand of drawly sarcasm for which Thornton has become known, the filmmakers aren't sure whether to paint Dr. P as an uncompromising villain or a mischievous teddy bear. The upshot is that Dr. P's most menacing aspect is Thornton's rather obvious hairpiece.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

A grim experience, with too little wit and humor to compensate for its faults, and the upbeat ending feels like a cheat. Thornton is good, but not worth the price of a ticket.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

In the funniest and, coincidentally, most "Jackass"-like scene in Todd Phillips' School for Scoundrels, a planned game of paintball gets off to a bad start when the players begin shooting each other at point-blank range.

The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

An inert and muddled mash-up of romantic comedy and theater of stupid cruelty.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Director Todd Phillips tries for the kind of frat slaphappiness he applied so successfully to "Old School," but these boys are less scoundrels than individual salesmen for the brands of Heder and Thornton.

Variety Robert Koehler

Picture seemed certain to either fly high on outrageous humor or crash under the weight of tastelessness. Instead, the movie just sits there and never comes alive.

LA Weekly Christopher Orr

This crass remake of the 1960 Robert Hamer film is kept alive for a while by director Todd Phillips (Old School), but ultimately succumbs to its weak script and hopeless typecasting.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Thornton and Heder perform at about half their maximum wattage, which isn't enough to power the inert script.

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

In post-"Wedding Crashers" Hollywood, the entire exercise feels dated (just as the comedy's PG-13 rating -- this in spite of a recurring rape joke -- makes it feel neutered).

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Despite the appeal of cobra-eyed Thornton and bunny-nosed Heder, Scoundrels trips early, and often.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Ben Stiller provides a jolt of personality as a past victim who rouses himself from exile, but otherwise Todd Phillips' fitfully funny script never delivers the crude creativity or the raw energy that feeds this genre of proudly crass male-centric comedies.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

This may be Thornton's most arch, least persuasive performance. With Heder he's a vacant scowl. With Barrett he's a threatening yet toothless Cheshire Cat.

Empire Sam Toy

A script that suffers the same problem as its characters -- lack of confidence -- is in dire need of a fire being lit under its arse. All involved could do with learning a thing or two from some scoundrels of the 'dirty, rotten' school.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

School for Scoundrels suffers from an old-fashioned identity crisis. The poor thing is awfully confused, and so are we. Is it a black comedy that isn't dark enough? Or a dumb comedy that isn't stupid enough, or a gross-out comedy that isn't yucky enough? Or is it really just a romance comedy that isn't sweet enough? Don't have a clue, but this much is certain: It's definitely a failed comedy that isn't funny enough.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It achieves something previously thought impossible: It renders Billy Bob Thornton unfunny.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

For all its crudeness, Phillips' tale of men behaving badly is remarkably toothless.

Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves

This ultimately disappointing comedy starts reasonably strong, delivers a few good laughs, then rolls over and plays dead.

Austin Chronicle Toddy Burton

School for Scoundrels varies between taking itself seriously and not, leaving the viewer alternately confused and disappointed.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Billy Bob Thornton's leer is much in evidence in the shoddy comedy School for Scoundrels, though the tackiness of the film, its lazy direction and its self-satisfied stupidity may mean that Mr. Thornton curled his lip about the production rather than for it.

USA Today Claudia Puig

School for Scoundrels will only leave you scratching your head in bewilderment and might possibly shave off IQ points.

New York Post Kyle Smith

School for Scoundrels teaches one important lesson: Avoid any thing carrying the banner of The Weinstein Co., which is to the multiplex what bagged spinach is to the produce aisle.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

It would require a near-lethal injection of nitrous oxide to induce laughter.