There’s been some writing (notably here) lately trying to identify and get a critical eye on the genre of comedies centered around slackerish men in their 20s and 30s floundering through life, women, and careers. It’s generally thought of to have started with High Fidelity (though I think it started with the fantastic Kicking and Screaming), and reached some sort of apex this summer with Knocked Up and Superbad (both excellent movies).
As the history gets written, I want to put in a quick note to not overlook what I think is a major contribution to this sequence of movies: Old School. Where the men of most of these movies are drifting in a senseless way, Old School understood that the desire for male bonds of youth was fed also by a fear at the disappointment of what being an adult in this day and age involves. Or to use their language (and youtube clips), the idea that once you are an adult, life becomes an endless series of trips to theHome Depot (and the Bed, Bath & Beyond if there is enough time) and the therapist (where you think you are in the nest in the Trusting Tree, but you are not). It also doesn’t overtly dramatize what is going on; the characters themselves understand that there is something stupid and immature about what they are doing. They just can’t help themselves until it gets worked through.
It also features The Dan Band doing their wedding version of Total Eclipse of the Heart*, which cracks me up every time. A lot. They evidently did a video concert where they did the full song on stage, and the joke easily sustains 3 minutes:
The glasses guys, and the lines “Fucking Ever Gonna Start Tonight” / “Now I’m fucking falling apart” are just genius. I understand it’s a dude swearing through an 80s ballad, but man does he nail it. I encourage you all to check it out.
* – Have you ever seen the original video for the Bonnie Tyler song? It’s a dream sequence, and it is the best/worst of 80s music-video making.
