Review of School for Scoundrels (2006) by Dave C — 09 Feb 2008

In most of his interviews Jon Heder is not ashamed to admit that he feels called to do safe, teenage comedies. It's his favorite genre of film, and it shows. The character he plays here is pretty much the same character that have seen him play over and over again. And the worst thing about it is that he seems to be having so much fun doing it that he will more then likely do it again in another film.

School For Scoundrels is the type of film that shows it's funniest scenes in the trailer. It therefore ends up feeling like you wasted over an hour simply to see what you already watched.

Heder hit a home run with his portrayal of Napolean Dynamite, but it seems that he is destined to be a one hit wonder. Thornton, who is a credible actor, is also typecast into his comedic persona here, which feels all to familiar as well. These two central performances put together don't bode well for this film unfortunately.

I don't know what Heder could possibly do to take his career to another level. Napolean sequels unfortunately seems like his best bet, which is a sad reality.