Rent School for Scoundrels (2006)

A mediocre remake of a British classic. - School for Scoundrels review by CP Customer

I put off renting this for quite a while as the original 1960 ‘School For Scoundrels’ is one of my favourite films. And while this isn’t as bad as I thought it might be, it’s really not a patch on the original film. While this version takes the absolute barebones of the original 1960 film's plot it completely screws up the original storyline. In the original film the main character is always being outshone by his arch-rival Raymond Delauney, and enrols at the College of Lifemanship and is schooled in the secrets of success by Professor Potter. In this remake the character of Delauney is completely missing and replaced by a feud with the mysterious, aggressive and devious “Dr P”. Nearly all of the key scenes from the original are also missing, including the major sub-plot where he’s conned into buying an old banger by two dodgy second-hand car salesmen. The original film with Ian Carmichael, Terry Thomas and Alastair Sim was both charming and very funny, but this has neither of those qualities. It’s not particularly bad; it’s just not that funny, incredibly clichéd and instantly forgettable. If you want to see one of the best black and white British comedies of all time then rent the original, otherwise give this a miss.