Roger is a beleaguered New York City meter maid who is plagued by anxiety and low self-esteem. In order to overcome his feelings of inadequacy, Roger enrolls in a top-secret confidence-building class taught by the suavely underhanded Dr. P. Aided by his assistant, Lesher, Dr. P uses unorthodox, often dangerous methods, but he guarantees results: Employ his techniques and you will unleash your inner lion.Surrounded by a band of misfit classmates-- Walsh, who's dying to move out of mother's basement; Diego, a punching bag for his hen-pecker of a wife; and Eli, a shy guy just looking for female companionship--Roger's confidence grows and he makes his way to the head of the class, even finding the courage to ask out his longtime crush, Amanda. But Roger quickly discovers that star students have a way of catapulting Dr. P's competitive side into high gear. Soon enough, the teacher sets out to infiltrate and destroy Roger's personal and professional life. Nothing is off limits for Dr. P, not even the object of Roger's affection. In order to show Amanda Dr. P's true colors, Roger must rally his new friends and find a way to beat the master at his own game.

John Heder missed his time period the 1980’s when sophomoric humor ruled the movies and the king was the nerd. From movies like Revenge of the Nerds to Porkies these kids of movies reveled in the kind of poor acting, weak story and silly gags that John Heder only seems capable of. Is he Napoleon Dynamite in real life, does he talk like that when he’s at home with his family and his loved one, does he act like such an idiot when there is nobody around to see him do so because he is has shown no range, no acting and no difference in any of the movies he has done since Napoleon. So if this is the real John Heder and not just some character, then he isn’t an actor, he is just portraying himself and that seems pretty sad to me. But if this is an act and this is a performance then why hasn’t he abandoned it long since because of he doesn’t and doesn’t do it soon all he will be left with is this idiotic persona and crappy movies like Benchwarmers. I am beginning to doubt if he can escape it already because he has shown us nothing else and for me that would be a blessing because at this rate it five years time most people will be just like I was about this time last year, sick and tired of John Heder and sick and tired of his Napoleon Dynamite performance in every movie he does.

School for Scoundrels has and had potential and at times it meets this potential and is very funny but at other times it fails to do so and is idiotic and boring. We have all seen the movie and it has been done far better twenty years ago with Revenge of the Nerds so a lot of the jokes don’t work. The movie would like you to believe that somewhere, somehow John Heder’s nerd can be loveable and that someone, some place could love the nerd in him. I am sorry I was rooting for Billy Bob Thorton to thoroughly destroy him even though I knew there was no chance of this ever happening. That might have made a somewhat funny movie that casts itself in mediocrity more than just your run of the mill kind of movie. Had they gone that route and I would have the movie would have been memorable for doing so and gone from ok funny movie, to ok funny and shocking movie.

I like Billy Bob Thornton I just find it sad that he has so much more to offer and yet he keeps turning in movies like this. It was ok in Bad Santa, it was already getting old in Bad News Bears and by the time School for Scoundrels is being released you want to just slap him and say we get it, you’re a bad ass. Return to doing movies like Sling Blade where you showed us what a fine actor you could be, heck I’d even take movies like Monster’s Ball and Armageddon again. Michael Clarke Duncan is big we get that too, but he can do so much more than be the big sidekick that he keeps getting cast as, did no one see the Green Mile and remember that beneath that enormous physique is a man who can act. School for Scoundrels is funny at times, it is stupid at other times, I just can’t decide which it was more of.

Grade: C