School for Scoundrels | Rotten Tomatoes

School for Scoundrels

1960

1 hr. 34 min.

Comedy

List

100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A school that teaches one-upmanship enables a chronic loser (Ian Carmichael) to embarrass a rival (Terry-Thomas) and woo the woman he loves.

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Audience Member

After seeing the remake with Billy Bob (wasn't impressed), I adored the original. I really love some of the lessons in this film, as I realized a lot of these techniques have been used on me, comedically or not. Especially when they are working on the lesson of how to take the wind out of someone's sails by directing all the attention to your own victimization. Really brilliant time capsule which can be used as an effective critique of modern culture as well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My favorite of the many superb Ealing comedies. From Gloatbridge the accountant, to Dunstan and Dudley car salesman par Excellance. The magnificent 1924 swiftmobile. Every scene a classic. Alastair Sim, Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael at their best.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

Arguably the greatest comedy of all time. A classic 9.9/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2016/03/school-for-scoundrels.html

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

(64%) A superbly watchable classic British comedy that may dabble in silliness from time to time, but there's very few films from this era that are more fun. The cast is filled with some of the better performers of the time with the always very good Alastair Sim as the essentially the headmaster of this school for cheats, the perfectly cast rival Terry-Thomas, with the ideally good Ian Carmichael in the lead role. Memorable scenes involve the now classic wreck of a car sold by some dodgy dealers, and the "hard cheese old boy" tennis sequences. Anyone fond of classic comedy should without doubt give this a look.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Lighthearted fun that is now very dated. Thomas is at his cad like best and Sim never lets us down but they are still not enough to keep me interested.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Robert Hamer

Director

Ian Carmichael

Henry Palfrey

Terry-Thomas

Raymond Delauney

Alastair Sim

Mr. S. Potter

Janette Scott

April Smith

Dennis Price

Dunstan

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44%

20%

Hollywood North

60%

58%

Kipps

60%

62%

The Actors

40%

78%

Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

19%

58%

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...All the players are excellent, and Dennis Price has a great bit as a car salesman; if you can look past the cursory treatment of women, there’s a revealing picture of just how square a self-centred male culture could be...

Rated: 3/5

Jan 23, 2024

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Delightful.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 12, 2020

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Deliciously dry and droll, subtly slapshticky and timelessly topical in all those male gender expectations way.

Rated: 3/4

May 5, 2020

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

It is, to be blunt, a ridiculous premise executed with delightful precision by Hamer and his cast.

May 1, 2020

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Despite a weak finish, this is an enjoyable British comedy starring the incomparable Alastair Sim.

Nov 7, 2019

Full Review

MFB Critics

Monthly Film Bulletin

Robert Hamer has directed with intelligent restraint. If the comedy lacks sharpness, he has not allowed it to become further blunted by bogus joviality.

Feb 8, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

A school that teaches one-upmanship enables a chronic loser (Ian Carmichael) to embarrass a rival (Terry-Thomas) and woo the woman he loves.

Director: Robert Hamer
Screenwriter: Steve Potter, Patricia Moyes, Hal E. Chester
Production Co: Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2015

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