Old School is a comedy motion picture released by DreamWorks SKG in 2003, about three thirty-somethings who seek to re-live their
college days by starting a fraternity, and the tribulations they encounter
in doing so. The film, which stars Luke Wilson (Mitch), Vince
Vaughn (Beanie) and Will Ferrell (Frank), was directed by Todd Phillips and written by Phillips and Scot Armstrong.
The movie was envisioned by Phillips as a comedy parallel to the cult-classic National Lampoon's Animal House. It is considered a forerunner to the
frat pack since three of its stars are core members of that group.
This film is number 16 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". The story was
written by Court Crandall.
Setting
The film is set in a small, unnamed city in Upstate New York. The school was fictional Harrison University, and filming
locations included UCLA and Harvard. It is set in the present day (2003). A Tom Tourle production.
Plot
Mitch, the protagonist, is an everyday sort of guy. In this respect, he holds a job while
pursuing the family life with a dog and a serious girlfriend. However, once he comes back from a business trip he is shocked to
find out that his girlfriend Heidi takes part in orgies with a variety of people. She claims it’s purely sexual but nevertheless
Mitch doesn’t want to continue the relationship. As a result, he rents a house on a college campus which will later become the
headquarters for his fraternity.
Mitch's friend Frank gets married but it is immediately evident that there are structural tensions between the couple. Their
marriage lasts no longer than a couple of days. Frank gives his all to be a good husband, but he is unable to sustain married
life. The cataclysmic cause of his marriage’s demise is his drunken streak through the neighborhood. Frank is kicked out of his
house and thus goes to Mitch’s house to crash.
Mitch encounters his high school crush, Nicole, at Frank’s wedding party. However, he doesn’t make a good impression with her,
as he exhibits his inebriated state by spilling hot coffee on her dress. To make matters worse, he attempts to fix his mishap by
sticking his hand up her dress so that he could get the stain out. Luckily, she forgives him the next day. Mitch’s other best
friend Bernard throws a party for Mitch so that he could get his mind off his ex-girlfriend. Called Mitch-a-palooza, the rapper
Snoop Dogg performs Eric B & Rakim's track
Paid in Full at the large house party. This party is a huge success and also
puts Mitch and his friends at the top of the college social scene. The party "gives them all kinds of street-cred," as Bernard
says.
The next morning, the guys meet Dean Pritchard. The Dean is a childhood acquaintance of the three men, but since he was the
butt of most of their pranks, his actions throughout the movie are vindictively rooted. Pritchard happily informs them that the
house is specifically designated for social services and community housing. Therefore, Mitch, Frank, and Bernard must either move
out or fulfil the Dean’s criteria in order to keep Mitch’s house. For this reason, it is Bernard’s idea to start a fraternity
that is open to anyone. Although Mitch is initially reluctant to accept the notion of turning his house into a fraternity,
he is essentially obliged to agree with the idea. The fraternity thrives from the start, an initiation rite involving certain
lengths of rope, with one end tied to thirty-pound cinderblocks and the other tied to each initiant's genitalia, and a procedure
wherein each initiant must drop his cinderblock from a high building precipice, and which is supposed to symbolize each
initiant's trust--that the ropes are long enough to allow each cinderblock to reach the ground below with rope length to spare.
One initiant (Jerod Mixon), however, has an unfortunate, and ostensibly unplanned,
experience involving a loose manhole cover and a deep vertical access shaft. Mitch gets coined "the Godfather". He still tries to
keep his work life and fraternity life apart. Regardless, he is approached by countless people even at work who want to become
members of his fraternity. The fraternity is an outlet for the stress and boredom that is associated with the monotonous
nine-to-five lifestyle for many members.
However, the guys’ dreams are constrained. The death of one of the fraternity members certainly doesn’t help matters, but the
main obstacle is still Dean Pritchard. The fraternity is boarded up by the Dean because he claims the group violated an
assortment of university policies. He also claims that the students who participated in the non-sanctioned fraternity are subject
to expulsion. Nonetheless, Mitch finds out that the group has the right to bypass this legality by completing a series of
activities that range from academics and athletics to community service, debate and school spirit. The men are able to complete
all of the activities successfully but since the deceased member of the fraternity was still on their roster, the group’s
averages were brought down. Consequently, Dean Pritchard tells them the university’s decision stands.
Frank is able to obtain a tape that reveals the Dean bribing a female student with admission to Columbia Law School (a promise the Dean happily broke when she confronted him after the school
rejects her) since she is head of the student board that approved of the fraternity's campus status. Accordingly, the Dean’s
credibility is destroyed. With this fact, it is hard for the university to withhold their decision and they decide to reinstate
the fraternity’s charter. In addition, the fraternity’s old house is replaced with Dean Pritchard’s house (definitely an
upgrade). Despite Bernard and Mitch withdrawing from the fraternity, Frank maintains his ties and persists with his leadership in
the organization.
Characters
Mitch "The Godfather" Martin
Also known as “The Godfather.” Holds a job as a real estate lawyer. In the beginning of
the movie, he catches an early flight home to propose to his girlfriend, only to find that she's hosting a threesome. He moves into a new house located on a college campus, and his friend Bernard Campbell throws a large party called “Mitch-a-palooza” in his honor. After the success of the party,
Bernard creates the fraternity, calling it “Lambda Epsilon Omega".
Frank "The Tank" Ricard
Also known as “Frank the Tank”, a nickname that has followed him from his college days, due to his drinking ability. In the
beginning of the movie he is getting married, but is unsure if it's the right idea. During “Mitch-a-palooza”, he gets drunk and
streaks. His wife catches him running in the street and this wrecks his marriage.
Bernard "Beanie" Campbell
Also known as “Beanie”. He is settled and has a family and kids but remains envious of his friends' lifestyles. He meets a
college girl and is tempted to sleep with her, but does not because he says he is married. He does not have a college education
and has troubles reading and other basic skills but manages to create the successful electronics chain "Speaker City", which
sells electronics and stereo equipment.
Dean Gordon "Cheese" Pritchard
Also known as “Cheese”. He is the unscrupulous dean of the university. He was tormented by Frank, Beanie and Mitch growing up, tries to disband the fraternity,
ultimately failing. This could be seen as an ironic reference to Piven's earlier film PCU, where he played a party-crazed student up against the politically-correct dean of Port Chester University. It also perhaps is a parody of earlier 70s/early 80s college comedy films, such as
Animal House where the "evil" dean is pitted against the laid-back
party-going friendly good-guy students.
Nicole
The love interest of Mitch Martin after the break-up with his fiancée. It is revealed that she had a crush on him in high
school. She spends most of the film involved with another man however.
Heidi
Mitch Martin’s fiancée. He comes home early from a business trip to find her hosting an orgy at their house. She is later
shown in a scene during the end credits inviting Frank Ricard over to another orgy she is
hosting.
Lara Campbell
Bernard Campbell’s wife, and friend of Marissa.
Marissa Jones
Frank's new wife. After she catches Frank streaking, she kicks him out. They separate for good at Blue's funeral.
Mark
Nicole's boyfriend. At Max's birthday party, Mitch catches him fooling around with a waitress in the bathroom. Mark holds him
to secrecy, citing "What are you gonna do? Tell on me? You know you can't buddy. It's guy code. That's something chicks do.
You're not a chick are you?" Mitch ends up with Nicole in the end, after she catches him herself.
Wedding Singer
Wedding Singer at Frank the Tank's reception who performs "Total Eclipse of the
Heart" and starts swearing all the way through it. His most famous line from the scene is "...And I need you now tonight.
I fuckin' need you more than ever."
Lambda Epsilon Omega
ΛΕΩ is the fraternity that the guys started. Original pledges include:
- Joseph 'Blue' Palasky (Patrick Cranshaw) - the oldest member of the fraternity, at
an astonishing 89 years of age, who passes away after a wrestling event that was to involve a pool filled with K-Y Jelly and two topless college girls, Jenny (Corinne Kingsbury) and Jeannie
(Lisa Donatz).
- Weensie (Jerod Mixon) - The distinctively obese fraternity pledge. And the only pledge
who, during the cinderblock-tied-to-the-genitalia-and-then-dropped "test", has an objectively hilarious but painfully and
definitively unfortunate episode involving a latently-defective manhole cover and a deep access shaft.
- Spanish (Rick Gonzalez)
- Hatch (Matthew Carey)
- Jerry (Simon Helberg)
- Abdul (Abdul Goznobi)
- Archer (Eddie Pepitone)
- Warren (Rob Corddry)
Quotes from the Film
- Frank: Fill it up again! Once it hits your lips, it's so good!
- Wedding Singer: Every now and then I get a little bit terrified, I see the fuckin look in your eyes! ... Every now and
then I fall apart. .. Yeah fuckin' every now and then I fall apart! And I need you now tonight! I fuckin' need you more than
ever!!!
- Mitch: True love is hard to find. Sometimes you think you have true love and then you catch the early flight home from
San Diego and a couple of nude people jump out of your bathroom blindfolded like a goddamn magic show ready to double team your
girlfriend...
Beanie: It stops right there and it continues right here because I think what Mitch is trying to say is that true love is
blind.
- Frank: We're going streaking!!!
- Frank: Rip his head off!!! Rip his head off!!!
- Frank: (After getting picked up by his wife and friends while running up the street naked and drunk) Honey, do
you think KFC is still open?
- Pledge’s Wife: What's going on?!?!?
Frank: You tell anyone about this and I'll fucking kill you! I'm kidding, I'm kidding, we'll have him home by midnight,
okay sweetheart?
- Psychiatrist: Frank, this is a safe place. A place where we can feel free sharing our feelings. Think of my office as
a nest in a tree of trust and understanding. We can say anything here.
Frank: Anything? Well, uh I guess I, deep down, am feeling a little confused. I mean, suddenly, you get married, and
you're supposed to be this entirely different guy. I don't feel different. I mean, take yesterday for example. We were out at the
Olive Garden for dinner, which was lovely. And uh, I happen to look over at a certain point during the meal and see a waitress
taking an order, and I found myself wondering what color her underpants might be. Her panties. Uh, odds are they are probably
basic white, cotton, underpants. But I sort of think well maybe they're silk panties, maybe it's a thong. Maybe it's something
really cool that I don't even know about. You know, and uh, and I started feeling. .. what? what I thought we were in the trust
tree in the nest, are we not?
- Beanie: Earmuffs.
- Frank: You're my boy, Blue! You're my boy.
- Mitch: At this point, you might be asking yourself, 'Why am I holding this thirty pound cinder block in my hands? You
might also ask yourself, 'Why does this cinder block have a long piece of string tied to it? And finally, 'Why is the other end
of this string tied securely to your penis?'
- Dean Pritchard: Do you know where the rest of the guys are?
Frank: I don't know. We all spread out---(screams as Dean Pritchard slaps him in the face) What are you doing?! Why
did you--(Pritchard then kicks Frank in the balls)
- Beanie: You think I like avoiding my wife and kids to hang out with nineteen year old girls everyday?
Mitch: Yeah.
- Frank: (After getting shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart) You're crazy man, you're crazy. I like you, but
you're crazy. I feel tired. ..
- Beanie: Oh yeah. .. Chee-eese! Didn't we lock you in the dumpster that one time?
Dean Pritchard: I got out
Beanie: Cool man. I'm glad you did.
- Beanie: Let me give you my number in case something happens to my wife. (After telling the girl he's married)
- Frank: Blue, you sure you're okay with this?
Blue: Just ring the fucking bell, you pansy.
- Beanie: Damn it, Blue was old. That's what old people do. They die.
- Dean Pritchard: What is your position on the role of government in supporting innovation in the field of
biotechnology?
James Carville: Well Dean, I'm glad that you asked that question--
Frank: Actually, I'd like to jump in and take that one, if you don't mind Jimmy.
James Carville: Have at it, Hoss.
Frank: Recent research has shown that empirical evidence for globalization of corporate innovation is very limited, and as
a corollary the market for technologies is shrinking. As a world leader, it is important for America to provide systematic
research grants for our scientists. I believe strongly that there will always be a need for us to have a well-articulated
innovation policy with emphasis on human resource development, thank you... What happened? I blacked out.
Dean Pritchard: That was interesting. Thank you very much. And, uh, your rebuttal, Mr. Carville.
James Carville: We have no response. That was perfect.
Frank: That's the way you do it! That's the way you debate!
- Beanie: I'm still holding. Still holding!
- Frank: Mitch, I'm so cold. I think I see Blue. He looks glorious!
- Frank: Happy Tuesday to you out there. It's "Frank the Tank" here at Harrison Cougar Radio, 88.6. I want to give a
shout out to the Godfather. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today Mitch. I'd probably be dead right now, face down in a
drained pool somewhere.
Similar Films
Awards
Production Facts
- The budget of this movie was approximately $24,000,000.
- The film earned $86,941,509 worldwide during its theatrical run.
- It took approximately forty days to complete.
Sequel
According to IMDb there is a sequel in the works called Old School Dos, set to be released in 2009.
Will Ferrell will not be contributing to this film at all he quoted, "Oh, I wouldn't do another Old School,' he says quickly.
'They put these rumors out there, these studio people, but I would never be behind that one."
External links
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