--- title: "Old School: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/old-school/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/old-school" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Old School (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 11 reviews: 0 positive, 5 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews are lukewarm at best and cool for the most part: not one critic recommends Old School outright, and most place it somewhere between harmless and unfunny. Most reviews measure it against Animal House and find it the tamer copy. Where praise exists, it lands on the two leads. Vince Vaughn is repeatedly picked out as the reliable source of laughs, and Will Ferrell’s compulsive nudist earns a grudging chuckle even from critics who dislike the rest. The complaints cluster on structure. Several reviews find a promising first half that runs out of ideas, with sub-plots left hanging and an ending that backs away from the misbehaviour it has spent an hour celebrating; The AV Club adds that the editing leaves it feeling unfinished. The spread is narrow, from mild approval to flat dismissal, with Radio Times the warmest voice and Eye for Film the harshest, extending its objections to the leads themselves and calling Vaughn wasted. ## Los Angeles Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2003. The critic notes that enjoyment depends on finding Will Ferrell's antics funny and praises the disconnect between what the male characters say and do for adding pathos. Vince Vaughn stands out as the ideal poster boy for the happily whipped. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-21-et-dargis21-story.html) ## Radio Times — Sloan Freer Rating 3/5. This early romp from Todd Phillips is a spirit-lifting scream and a well-scripted frat-boy flick with a twist that is hard not to warm to. Vaughn and Ferrell are singled out as natural clowns whose combined chemistry elevates it beyond an Animal House carbon copy. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fmdoyy/old-school/) ## Variety — Dennis Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2003. The review describes it as a slickly made but unmemorable kinder, gentler Animal House that is less fresh than the director's prior Road Trip. It singles out the strong pacing and song choices as brighter spots amid mostly forced humor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/old-school-2-1200543460/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film starts with promise in its first half through funny set-pieces and a look at male attitudes to ageing but quickly loses steam with underdeveloped sub-plots. It is redeemed somewhat by strong comic turns from Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell but falls short of its Animal House ambitions, remaining a harmless and intermittently funny comedy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/old-school-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2003. The critic finds guaranteed deplorable taste in this frat-boy comedy about three sad thirty-somethings trying to relive college days. Vince Vaughn provides the laughs, but the rest is crass and broad with little else to recommend it. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/may/09/artsfeatures8) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2003. The review calls the comedy sloppy and derivative of Animal House, lacking the original's refreshing bad taste. It singles out the director's self-plagiarism from his own Frat House documentary as a notable flaw. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/movies/film-review-never-too-late-to-have-an-adolescence.html) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2003. The film is mostly in the Animal House tradition and celebrates anti-conformity, but it runs aground with a muddled, contrived ending that backs off from endorsing the heroes' antics. The cop-out resolution is disappointing given the influence of Animal House on director Todd Phillips. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/just-boring-old-frats-qh8x2r0xth5) ## Time Out — SCr Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic questions why the frat comedy is not funnier or more outrageous despite the cast's efforts and some humiliating set pieces. The girlfriends' blowjob class is singled out as a gory highlight, but the film overall lacks heart. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/old-school) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2003. The critic finds the film unfunny overall despite a few decent scenes and Will Ferrell's work as a compulsive nudist. It recycles the familiar story of fun-loving guys versus a disapproving dean without strong characterization or continuity. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/old-school-2003) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2003. The critic finds the premise promising but the execution lackluster, with broad slapstick and awkward earnestness replacing humor and pathos, plus sloppy editing that makes the film feel incomplete. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/old-school-1798198363) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2003. The critic finds the film immature and unfunny, dismissing it as 'American Pie for daddies' that thinks boys never grow up. He singles out the lead performances for complaint, noting that Luke Wilson has only two expressions, Will Ferrell is over-the-top, and Vince Vaughn is wasted in the role. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/old-school-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/old-school.md