Old School
Very politically incorrect; funny for many adults.
Parents say
Based on 9 reviews
Kids say
Based on 13 reviews
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie has a great deal of very mature and sometimes offensive material. There are homophobic references, a stereotyped Jewish character (wearing a "chai" necklace) shows up for group sex, characters drink to excess, and have casual sex. There are references to group sex and to other activities like wrestling with topless girls covered in KY jelly. There is a "fun" blow-up doll. A group of women hire a man to teach them how to give oral sex and we see them practicing on vegetables. The fraternity is welcoming to men of all races and ages and -- aside from some hazing of the pledges -- the men are all very supportive of each other. One character who seems most bent on abandoning all rules turns down sex with a young woman because he will not cheat on his wife.
Community Reviews
CSM is on the nose with 17+
Report this review
Good
Report this review
What's the Story?
Think of OLD SCHOOL as the reunion of the gang from Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds. Three 30-year-old men, feeling squashed by responsibilities, end up turning a house into a fraternity with all of the fun of torturing pledges, throwing wild parties, and essentially relinquishing all trappings of civilization.
Is It Any Good?
After a long, long series of gross-out slob would-be comedies that thought it was enough to be disgusting, it is a relief if not always a pleasure to see one that has some very funny moments. Yes, it is morally bankrupt and completely politically incorrect. But what can I say, I laughed.
In even the best of this genre, there is about a five-to-one joke ratio of failures to successes. It really isn't very funny when a character finds out after the fact that the young lady he had sex with while drunk was not just a high school student, but the daughter of his boss; when a character calls out "earmuffs" to his six year old son so that the boy will cover his ears when his father is about to use bad language; when a character's wife asks for a divorce just weeks after their marriage; or when an elderly character is so struck by the sight of slicked-up topless girls waiting to wrestle him that he keels over dead. But over and over, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn throw themselves so completely into the material that they make it work much more often than it deserves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether people need to feel that their responsibilities are suffocating when they become adults.
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 21, 2003
- On DVD or streaming: June 10, 2003
- Cast: Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell
- Director: Todd Phillips
- Studio: DreamWorks
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some strong sexual content, nudity, and language
- Last updated: January 1, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
-
National Lampoon's Animal House
John Belushi's raucous toga party has sex, cursing, drinking
-
Revenge of the Nerds
Racy college comedy has heart; OK for older teens.
-
Lord of the Flies
Book-based classic has brutal violence, bullying.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate