"School for Scoundrels" Directed by Todd Philips With Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder Rated PG-13 Now playing Grade: C+
Comedy is hard. "School for Scoundrels" writer/director Todd Philips had two straight laugh riots with "Road Trip" and "Old School," but stumbled with the film remake of "Starsky and Hutch." Like "Hutch," "Scoundrels" has a decent amount of laughs. But it never quite reaches the high bar Philips set for himself in "Old School."
The plot pretends to have a positive message, but the moral is full of holes. Roger (Jon Heder) is a parking meter maid with a propensity to faint when the going gets tough. When a friend refers him to a secret life-enhancing class led by Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton), Roger takes the chance to better himself. Dr. P teaches Roger how to get the girl with tips like "Be dangerous" and "Lie, lie and lie some more."
It's easy to predict the end. By Hollywood law, Roger should learn the class' teachings aren't very honest, and that the answer has always been to be himself. But "Scoundrels" ties up that little package like it was an after thought, as if the studio told Philips "Hey, throw something upbeat in there for the kids."
As with Philips, Jon Heder's leading-man performance is hindered by past success. Despite his everyman threads, moviegoers are likely to shout "Napoleon!" the moment he speaks. The actor is surprisingly capable in the role, but it may take another film or two before Heder shakes off the "Napoleon Dynamite" persona.
Billy Bob Thornton is strong as usual, but the role of a jerk without a heart doesn't seem that demanding for a guy who's starred in "Sling Blade" and "Monster's Ball."
Philips' last movie, "Starsky and Hutch," featured a cameo by Will Ferrell. "Scoundrels" gives us a cameo by Ben Stiller. It's not quite the same.
It's not that "Scoundrels" is a bad movie. In fact, it's probably one of the best bets for comedy now playing in theatres. But everyone involved can do better.
-ADAM BENDER
"Jesus Camp" Directed by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady With Becky Fischer, Mike Papantonio Rated PG-13 Now playing Grade: B-
"Jesus Camp" is a documentary about the growth of Evangelical Christians in the United States and their effect on the future of our country. Although the film contains interviews with many evangelical leaders and families, these interviews are designed to shock, not educate, viewers.
"Jesus Camp" is meant to introduce liberal Americans to the grueling prayer and brainwashing sessions that Christian children are forced to attend. Common scare tactics such as hollow climactic music and images of children crying were used to instill fear and create a sense that evangelical Christians are breeding the same kind of martyrs found in fundamentalist Islamic groups.
The film fails to document many scenes outside the camp's chapel, creating the belief that these children do not engage in any non-Christian activities. It is certainly important to acknowledge the growing amount of so-called radical evangelical Christians in the U.S., but this film only documents the most extreme members of the religious group.
The film does succeed in highlighting the political agenda that camp director Becky Fisher has and her direct influence over young children. Fisher teaches children about the evils of abortion, the magic of intelligent design and, most surprisingly, the return of the savior who will eliminate all earthly problems (including global warming, pollution and deforestation). Film directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady encourage the audience to realize how impressionable children are and how most children do not distinguish between beliefs and facts, and indoctrination and learning.
-TRACY TOWNSEND
"Renaissance" Directed by Christian Volckman With Daniel Craig, Romola Garai Rated R Now playing Grade: B+
Graphic novels are mainstream these days. After successful comic-based films like "Sin City" and "V For Vendetta," "graphic novel" is a term nearly as buzz-filled as "blog." With that in mind, it's not exactly a surprise that a movie like "Renaissance" would come along.
"Renaissance" is a computer-animated movie, just like "Open Season" and "Everyone's Hero," now playing in adjacent theatres. But "Renaissance" is rated R.
The film is a sci-fi action/mystery with stylized and strikingly original visuals. The French animators created their Paris of the future in full 3D, and then made it all look like a line drawing by limiting the pallet to high contrast black and white. The result is somewhere between a graphic novel and a video game. Prepare to be mesmerized.
It'd be viable to label it all "style over substance," but the style is so overwhelming that it's easy to forget how convoluted the plot, about a scientific discovery of how to live forever, actually is.
New James Bond Daniel Craig brings the cool to his performance in spite of limitations from the English translation. Dialogue can feel rigid at times, but like the plot, this problem loses significance beneath the sweet graphics.
It's great to see an animated film on the big screen that specifically targets an adult audience. Even if "Renaissance" isn't exactly a renaissance in storytelling, the mature subject matter is especially refreshing when the cartoon a few theatres over features Whoopi Goldberg as a talking baseball bat.
-ADAM BENDER
