Old School (2003)
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Three men in their thirties attempt to reclaim their youth by establishing a fraternity and navigating the resulting complications.
The story
After a series of personal setbacks, three men in their thirties—Mitch, Frank, and Bernard—decide to reclaim their youth by establishing a fraternity near a university campus in Upstate New York. Following a massive housewarming party, they face various complications, including a strict dean who seeks to shut them down. To keep their fraternity's status, the men must navigate a series of absurd challenges and hurdles set by the university administration while trying to maintain their new lifestyle.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mitch, a real estate attorney, breaks up with his girlfriend after catching her in an affair and moves to Upstate New York. He joins his friends Frank and Bernard, who decide to start a fraternity to relive their college days. They face opposition from the campus dean, Gordon Pritchard, who tries to shut them down. After a series of mishaps, including the death of an elderly fraternity brother and a series of academic and athletic challenges, the men must prove their legitimacy to the school. They eventually win the right to keep their charter and move into Pritchard's former residence. In the end, Mitch reconciles with his former flame, and Frank takes over the leadership of the fraternity. A post-credits scene shows the villainous Mark being blown up and Frank meeting Mitch's ex-girlfriend.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Todd Phillips
- Writers
- Todd Phillips · screenplay; Scot Armstrong · screenplay; Court Crandall · story; Todd Phillips · story; Scot Armstrong · story
- Cast and characters
- Luke Wilson; Will Ferrell; Vince Vaughn; Ellen Pompeo; Juliette Lewis; Leah Remini; Perrey Reeves; Craig Kilborn; Jeremy Piven
- Genres
- comedy; sex comedy
- Themes
- nostalgia; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Setting
- Upstate New York near a university campus.
- Premise and plot tags
- fraternity; buddy comedy
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was described as a 'kinder, gentler Animal House.'
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · review count: 167; Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100 · review count: 32; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Artios Awards · Best Casting for Feature Film · 2003 · nominated; Taurus Awards · Best Fire Stunt · 2003 · nominated; Spike Guys' Choice Awards · Guy Movie Hall of Fame · 2012 · won
- Production trivia
- The film is considered a forerunner to the Frat Pack.; The film was inspired by the documentary Frat House.; A sequel titled Old School Dos was written but turned down by the stars.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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