Thornton teaches lesson on comedy in Scoundrels

September 25, 2006 —

Vaughn. Ferrell. Wilson. Thornton?

The man called Billy Bob is making a bid to keep his name on the list of actors who define "funny." Ever since the success of Bad Santa (and its misleading DVD release Badder Santa, which was actually the same movie with a different name), Thornton has added more and more comedies to his resume.

From The Ice Harvest to The Bad News Bears, the man is moving further and further away from his drama days of Sling Blade.

Sure, one can argue that he plays the same character in all of his comedies - a surly, drunken, bullying jerk. But doesn't Will Ferrell play a rambling buffoon in all of his movies? Yes, a very funny rambling buffoon, but still.

School for Scoundrels has Thornton running a class for a group of misfits on how to be real men - or something like that. It really isn't clear what his character (Dr. P as his students call him) is teaching because he's a shady ne'er-do-well whose motives are unclear.

Maybe he's just teaching this class for the money, or to make himself feel superior.

Whatever the reason, it soon becomes clear that he is not a great instructor as he begins a rivalry with one of his students (Jon Heder as the hopeless meter maid Roger). In fact, he tries to ruin Roger's life more than it already is.

And only then does Scoundrels show why it's a movie worth seeing.

Ignore the slow start and the been-there-done-that humor of Heder falling down. And forget about the sub-par cast of TV actors - including Horatio Sanz and that guy with the gap in his teeth that is always on VH1 - that makes up the rest of Dr. P's class. The real laughs come from the competition between student and teacher.

As the movie progresses, Thornton and Heder build a tense rivalry that actually keeps the viewer wanting more. More crazy tennis antics. More one-upmanship. More Jon Heder?

That's right, for once I actually rooted for a character played by Jon Heder. The lanky actor who couldn't win my heart since he removed his glasses and curly coif has finally broken onto the post-Napoleon scene.

But maybe it's not that Heder's character is so likeable - maybe it's just that Thornton's phony doctor is so detestable.

Whew! I almost made a terrible mistake. I need to give credit where credit is due, and it all goes to Billy Bob Thornton for being fantastic at representing heartless bastards in comedies.

In the end, Scoundrels is a pleasant surprise. Director Todd Phillips of Old School fame did all he could without the help of the big guns of comedy (aside from a brief cameo by Ben Stiller), and he succeeded.

So while there is no Frank the Tank craving KFC this time around, there is still plenty to talk about after the credits.

And it's all thanks to Thornton's turn from drama to comedy. So if you want a few laughs at the theater, go check out School for Scoundrels. It's the best thing since French-fried potaters.