School for Scoundrels (2006 film)
| School for Scoundrels | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Todd Phillips |
| Produced by |
Daniel Goldberg Geyer Kosinski Todd Phillips |
| Written by | Todd Phillips Scot Armstrong |
| Based on |
School for Scoundrels by Hal E. Chester (uncredited) & Patricia Moyes (uncredited) |
| Starring |
Billy Bob Thornton Jon Heder Michael Clarke Duncan Jacinda Barrett Sarah Silverman Ben Stiller |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | Jonathan Brown |
| Edited by |
Leslie Jones Dan Schalk |
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Production
company |
Media Talent Group
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| Distributed by |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Dimension Films (USA) Paramount Pictures (UK) |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes 108 minutes (Unrated cut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Box office | $23,947,685 |
School for Scoundrels is a 2006 American feature/comedy film, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder, and directed by Todd Phillips. The film is based on the 1960 British film of the same name. The film was released on September 29, 2006.
The remake has a similar theme to the original film, but a noticeably different plot and tone.
Roger (Jon Heder) is a downtrodden meter reader, subject to ridicule from co-workers and regular denizens, who dreams of dating the foreign graduate student who lives in his building, Amanda (Jacinda Barrett). To overcome his lack of self-esteem, he signs up for a course taught by Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton) where Roger and his classmates are constantly bullied by Dr. P and his assistant Lesher (Michael Clarke Duncan), who likes to use outrageous and unethical methods on them, including humiliation. Some tasks they are required to do are quite cruel and primitive – like the task to start a conflict or even a fight with somebody they meet just to prove they are fearless. However, nobody intends to quit the course because Dr. P says he won't give a refund of $5,000 to anyone who quits or disobeys the orders given to them. The classmates even warn Roger that Dr. P will destroy him if his progress is too fast, just like he has done to one of his former students.
While participating, Roger begins to develop a sense of personal pride and finally asks Amanda for a date where he uses tricks he learned during the course. Wanting to prove that he's still got his edge, Dr. P starts competing with Roger for Amanda. He approaches her with a false story that he is a successful and child-loving surgeon whose wife has died, and Amanda, who is a voluntary caretaker for animals, is immediately attracted and starts dating him. When Roger begins to see what's happening, he decides to take action to get Amanda back, although his actions are futile. After a competitive tennis match in which Roger humiliates him, Dr. P enlists the talents of Roger's classmates to break into Amanda's apartment and paint graffiti on the walls so he could frame Roger as a stalker. Roger uses his authority as a meter reader to impound Dr. P's car, and in retaliation Dr. P gets Roger fired from his job.
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