You can identify this quite easily; “Old School” has a thin plot and takes obvious cues from “Animal House”, the ultimate frat comedy. But Phillips also delivers huge belly laughs with a skillful balance of smart stupid humor (which, believe it or not, is not always an oxymoron), telling the story of Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson), who walks in on his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis) and other naked, blindfolded strangers who are about to “double-team” her. Moved out and relocated to a pad that borders the local college campus, Mitch’s buddies - newly married man-child Frank (Will Ferrell) and acidic party animal Beanie (Vince Vaughn) - encourage him to turn the place into home base for a new fraternity, and round up new members (most of whom aren’t even in college) to pledge their allegiance.

“Old School” gets a little too rambunctious and childish at times (notably during the fraternity’s initiation activities, and an off-color segment with Andy Dick giving instructions on proper oral sex that scrapes the bottom of the barrel), but the cast gels beautifully and the gags are often hilarious. Wilson (“The Royal Tenenbaums”, “Legally Blonde”) continues his string of endearing, dorkish performances, and Vince Vaughn is a riot as the bitter husband and father who relishes the chance to revisit his rowdy, uninhibited college days. But “Old School” belongs to Will Ferrell, who does everything he did so well on “Saturday Night Live”, but with over 90 minutes of inspired comic madness at his disposal. When Frank hits the booze, he becomes his infamous college alter-ego, “Frank the Tank”, and cannot restrain himself. With more projects like this one, Ferrell could become a force to be reckoned with in movies; whether he is taking a tranquilizer dart in the neck or asking Snoop Dogg to come streaking, his timing is pitch-perfect and his abilities unmatched. It’s easily the funniest performance of the year. Other supporting players don’t fare as well - Jeremy Piven is just annoying as the snobbish college dean, and late night talk show wonder Craig Kilborn should have taken his heartless jerk act to the next level. But Ellen Pompeo is adorable as Mitch’s romantic interest; I hope to see more of her in the future.

“Old School” is not exactly a model of nuance or character development, but it is damn funny, and Phillips finds a well-measured medium between the clever and the moronic with a comedy that knows who it wants to please, and does it well. This is going to make a great party movie (notice, friends, that I refer to it as a “movie”).

DAREDEVIL


Starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell,
Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau and Joe Pantoliano
Director Mark Steven Johnson
Canadian Classification 14A
Released by 20th Century Fox - 02/03

“Daredevil”, the latest Marvel comic book adaptation, is like a prelude to a film franchise that I don’t think I am terribly looking forward to. The plot follows attorney Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), who was blinded by toxic chemicals as a child, and as a result his remaining four senses are greatly itensified (he’s like a walking radar beacon). This allows Murdock to take the guise of Daredevil, a masked vigilante who hunts down criminals at night, unleashing a different brand of justice than he does in the courtroom. “Daredevil” introduces Matt’s backstory, his love interest and his nemeses, who provide three or four violent confrontations. And that’s all there is to the movie. After 90 minutes, all that writer-director Mark Steven Johnson has achieved with his skeletal plot structure and unexplored characters is laying out the groundwork for the series. So, if there are sequels to “Daredevil”, lets hope they improve on this ugly, lackluster production.

The fact that the film aspires to be darker and grittier (ala Tim Burton’s “Batman”) than its recent comic book counterparts is admirable, but Johnson still can’t avoid turning the material into pure cheese. When Matt meets Elektra (Jennifer Garner), the lethally beautiful daughter of a millionaire mogul, the two engage in a fight scene at a playground that apes “Matrix”-style acrobatics to a ridiculously stupid degree. The fact that Johnson is trying to give his hero a human face is also admirable, but it doesn’t help matters that “Daredevil” is poorly written and derivative, and that this particular hero is played by Ben Affleck - who gives it the old college try, but can’t locate the human center of the character that Johnson is so intent to show us. Garner - obviously a rising talent - is badly underused, and her character is unconvincing. Where must we turn to find the saving grace of this movie?

That’s easy. While Sam Raimi’s recent “Spider-Man” told essentially the same story as “Daredevil” with a more compelling protagonist and smoother storytelling, one aspect in which this film trumps that blockbuster hit is the villains. Michael Clarke Duncan plays the Kingpin - who is said to control all of the city’s crime - with deliciously imposing menace. Colin Farrell, whose opening scene is easily the highlight of the movie, is Bullseye, a psychotic assassin that Kingpin hires to take care of some business. While everyone else is busy brooding, Farrell seems to be having the time of his life; it’s a highly entertaining performance in the midst of all the gloom. Duncan and Farrell are the two aces that “Daredevil” has up its sleeve.

And yet, they cannot salvage this drab, disappointing mess. There are a few innovative effects used to show Murdock’s heightened senses, but otherwise, the action and CGI in “Daredevil” are utterly incoherent. “Spider-Man” had its flaws, but at least when it was over, you felt like you had seen a movie instead of a worthless franchise stunt. “Daredevil” goes from zero to... well, nowhere in 90 minutes.

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION


Starring James Van Der Beek, Ian Somerhalder,
Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel and Kip Pardue
Director Roger Avary
Canadian Classification 18A
Released by Lions Gate Films - 10/02

“The Rules of Attraction” is a moral vacuum of a movie, with characters that are virtually unredeemable and subject matter that deals with sex, drugs, rape, suicide, and more drugs. While that may sound appalling, it isn’t the problem with this film from director Roger Avary (“Killing Zoe”); instead, it’s due to the fact that “The Rules of Attraction” is just an empty void - a pastiche of stylish visuals and off-putting content without purpose. I’m usually one to champion films that dare to be a little different, but this one doesn’t have a point. The tagline reads From the Corrupt Minds That Brought you “Pulp Fiction” and “American Psycho”. I loved both of those films. “The Rules of Attraction” left me cold.

Avary is obviously attuned to the fact that the film doesn’t have a point to make (it’s based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, so there you go), and he stages everything like he’s the twisted ringleader of the circus of college debauchery. The terrific opening scene (set at a party) neatly toys with linear time conventions, as we are introduced to one character, whom we follow for a few minutes, and then the scene moves in reverse until the camera intercepts another character. These characters include Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), the brother of Patrick (the character portrayed by Christian Bale in “American Psycho”), who is a drug dealer and a sex maniac. Sean is in love with Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), but she is oblivious to that, because Lauren wants to lose her virginity to Victor (Kip Pardue), who’s taking a trip to Europe that provides a jolt of pure adrenaline for an amazing rapid-fire five minute sequence later on in the film. Meanwhile, Paul (Ian Somerhalder) has a huge crush on Sean... and round and round we go.

At times, “The Rules of Attraction” is deliciously nihilistic, and some of the actors do great work - namely Van Der Beek, hilariously playing against type as the demented Sean, and Somerhalder as the hopeless bisexual romantic (Eric Stoltz and Fred Savage have funny cameos as well). Avary makes great use of the split screen (among other cool camera tricks), but there isn’t much plot to support anything - just the central love triangle, and one deplorable supporting character after the next. If “The Rules of Attraction” is a commentary on something, I don’t know what that is. It’s just a strange, mean little movie.