School for Scoundrels (2006)

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.

Director:

Todd Phillips

Writers:

Todd Phillips (screenplay), Scot Armstrong (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, Jacinda Barrett

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Dr. P
Jon Heder	...	Roger Waddell
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 Radcliff
Luis Guzmán	...	Sergeant Moorehead
Dan Fogler	...	Zack
DeRay Davis	...	Bee Bee

Storyline

An unlucky meter reader enrolls in a confidence-building class so he can win the love of the girl of his dreams. The class turns out to be something quite different when it becomes clear to the young man that his professor has his sights set on the same girl.

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Plot Keywords:

low self esteem | mace spray | new york city | australian | assertion | 

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Taglines:

Nice Guys Graduate Last.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Better Man

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,602,333, 1 October 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,803,796, 17 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Picked Last, Media Talent Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 108 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diego (Horatio Sanz) says, "Things are going to change, I can feel it," quoting Beck's song, "Loser."

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Goofs

Incorrectly regarded as an error: The first time Roger and Dr. P are in the museum, there are two elephants in the background. The next time there appears to be only one in the final shot. This is caused by the shift in camera angle. In fact, the head of the elephant on the left is hidden by the stuffed lion. The body of the elephant is still seen, but looks like a large boulder.

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Quotes

Roger: What now, bitch?

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Alternate Versions

Home video release include the 'Unrated Ballbuster Edition' which is 8 minutes longer than the theatrical release. There is an alternative ending.That is only available on DVDs.

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

Dimension
Written by Andrew Stockdale, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett
Performed by Wolfmother
Courtesy of Modular / Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Saw a preview - very funny in parts

I saw a preview yesterday, and the movie is very funny in parts. I laughed so hard I cried a couple of times. On the other hand, there are times when the movie seems to drag on too long. In my opinion, this movie is two stories in one - and one works great, and the other not so much. The whole school for scoundrels thing is hysterical. Any scene with Heder and his buddies had the audience roaring. Jon Glaser was my favorite - will somebody get this guy his own movie, please?! But everything outside that was definitely not on the same level. Even the brilliant Ben Stiller, Sara Silverman and David Cross didn't work nearly as well, nor did the scenes of competition between Heder and Thornton. It's still worth seeing for the scenes that do work with his buddies though, as you don't get to laugh that hard too often. - Mikeontheriver