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Ayyad
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Fri, Nov 21 2003 ..... 5:10 PM
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Old School became an instant success right when it came out, word spread fast about how hilarious that movie was. Going into the movie theater I was thinking "Just another college comedy movie", and that was very true. However, it was an amazing movie that I really fully enjoyed and would probably remember this comedy for a long time. It would be redundant to repeat what the movie is about so check out the first paragraph of Kelly's post (the one right below mine) for a quick summary of the movie. Old School kept me laughing from the beginning and all the way till the end, with the exception of the scene of Blue's funeral; I could almost shed a tear. Although the situation in which he died was sort of funny in its own way, you must see the scene to really understand. Like most other movies, this one tries to portray some morals. The important one that I was able to recognize amongst the non-stop laughter was the importance of teamwork and effectiveness to reach the desired goal. As the movie drew closer to the end, we can see that moral in effect. It is at the point where they have to pass several test in order to be able to keep their beloved fraternity, and continue to have fun and enjoy themselves. If you have not seen this movie yet, then you must do yourself a favor and watch it.
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Kelly
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Fri, Nov 21 2003 ..... 4:24 PM
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This week, “Techies” were kickin’ it back Old School-style, fo’ sho’. This film, directed by Todd Phillips, is once again loosely college-focused. The premise of this movie, is that three men in their thirty-something’s decide that they are going to develop their own fraternity. The frat is in no way associated with the school, and is more of a club for those who are still in college at heart. Many of the members of the fraternity are of college age, yet some are well beyond their prime, including most memorably Blue (played by Patrick Cranshaw). Each of the three “founders” of the fraternity are dealing with their own issues, most of which would not affect the typical college student. Mitch (played by Luke Wilson, the main character) is coping after he finds out his ex-girlfriend had been cheating on him, and he is looking for a way to “get back into the game.” Frank (Will Ferrell) was just recently married and is having a hard time adjusting to the non-single life. Finally, Beanie (Vince Vaughn) is struggling as a businessman, father, and husband, and is basically looking for a way to relieve stress. The film was thought of by Phillips as a comedy version of Fight Club, explaining some of its basis.
In some vague and obscure ways the movie does indeed relate to college life. For instance, the most obvious parallel would be that of the fraternity. While this is not necessarily a real fraternity, it does indeed have its similarities. As Beanie states, “We're talking about a non-exclusive egalitarian brotherhood where community status and more importantly age have bearing whatsoever. Legally speaking there will be a loose affiliation [to the university]. But, we will give nothing back to the academic community. As well as provide no public service of any kind. This much I promise you.” Although a fraternity could not reasonably exist on a college campus without these qualities, it often seems that most of them do. As a personal experience, the dorm I live in has decided that they want to establish a fraternity at the dorm, due to our close brotherhood (and sisterhood) and will almost guaranteed not provide anything back to the university. Not to mention, some members of our future fraternity may be at Georgia Tech until they are as old as Blue… mostly by choice, but some victims to the rigors of the institution of higher education. The film also includes many aspects of college life, more specifically some of the qualities that are typically attributed to school and what the men remember most. These include drinking (heavily), parties, illegal hazing, sex, and of course, the occasional streaker.
In conclusion, I believe that the film is a hilarious skew of college reality, similar to Animal House. It loosely parallels Good Will Hunting in that it deals with both college and life issues, yet in a lighter way. Once again, although only slightly existent and often stretched, I was able to make comparisons between fictional life and actual life.
Entertainment Rating: 9
Reality Rating: 6
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Derek
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Fri, Nov 21 2003 ..... 1:53 PM
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Old School takes a somewhat different perspective on college life than the other movies that we have viewed so far. The three main characters in the movie are old. Well, not old, older. They are in their mid to late thirties. They have already been through college and have moved on with their lives. After the main character's marriage falls apart, though, he moves into a house that is on a college campus. His friends encourage him to use the house to start a fraternity, and the mayhem begins. The main idea behind the movie is a group of friends who are basically each working through his own mid-life crisis. As the characters look at how their lives have turned out, they want so much to recapture the wild party days of their youth. Rarely I image do people’s lives end up the way they imagined their lives would when they were in college. Everyone had these incredible dreams and plans for the future, and yet reality usually kicks in. They settle down, have a few kids, and settle into suburban life. And as forty approaches people generally take stock of how their lives are turning out, and a few are disappointed (thus the mid-life crises).
Through the crazy antics and the overly bitter and determined dean (can we say Animal House?), though, a simple yet important message is eventually imparted on the viewer. Youth cannot be reclaimed. The wild days of college should remain only memories. The main character eventually realizes these facts only after he has gone through some very trying experiences due to his affiliation with his new fraternity. But he does grow along the way, learning to not be such a pushover and to take some control over his own life. As the movie comes to a close, the main character has at least moved on with his life. His two friends are dealing with pretty much the same situations and issues that they were at the beginning of the movie. But they’ve had a lot of fun experiences along the way, and they are at least both happier than they were. It may not be the most serious of movies, but it can still impart a few important life lessons on the viewer willing to look past the topless girls in a swimming pool filled with KY Jelly.
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Stephanie
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Sun, Nov 16 2003 ..... 7:09 PM
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Old School came out but a little over a year ago, but it has had a large impact. So many have thought this movie to be one of the funniest movies made pertaining to college life. If you are unfamiliar with the movie, it's about a group of older gentlemen around their 30s unsatisfied with their life that starts a fraternity at a college. No one is excluded from this establishment they have recruits from the college age to an elderly gentleman of the age of 87. The bonds that these gentlemen grow through their trials and tribulations help them grow as individuals as well as a group. The dean of the college wishes to dismiss the fraternity and all its members, because he is jealous of the man in charge. The group prevails and the men in the group find themselves as well as an outlet that makes them happier in their own personal lives. This movie is extremely funny and I recommend that if you haven't seen it, you should.
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Lynn
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Mon, Nov 24 2003 ..... 1:57 AM
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As a critic of comedy and a college student myself, I am proud to say that Old School was the first movie ever to make me laugh hard enough that tears actually dripped off my face (This particular scene was when Will Farrell shot himself with the traquilizer gun). The level of comedy in this movie is way above any other college comedies that I have ever seen. I think its success was because of its excellent cast, crazy plot line and ingenius sense of comedy. Also, one reason it was very successful is that the comedy in this movie is a very physical type of comedy. This is also the type of comedy that Will Farrell does best. I don't really know how this movie relates to our own college experience, however, I do know that I have never seen any fraternities act as wildly as Alpha Epsilon Omega. I also have not seen any fraternity that was as excepting. The fact that they would except pretty much anyone into their fraternity was a good message. I showed how all men are the same no matter what race or age they are. However, the only problem was that it was still ruled by three white men. I don't know exactly how this movie relates to my experience at Georgia Tech, I just hope that my college experience is at least as half as fun as Old School.
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