For the most part, mainstream farcical movies are too formulaic to be called funny. Gather up a cast of no-name, second-rate actors, throw in some bathroom humor, add one completely obnoxious caricature a la Stifler from "American Pie," and you've got yourself a prosaic Hollywood lampoon. Perhaps the makers of the new film "Old School" realized the folly in this trend and opted to lay off on the ignorant banter, instead of opting to allow experienced comic actors Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn to do their thing.

The movie primarily revolves around a hapless man named Mitch (Wilson). After returning home from a business trip, he walks in on his wife Heidi (Juliette Lewis) watching a graphic porn film. Minutes later, two blindfolded people walk out of their bathroom naked. Mitch learns that she's been cheating on him for years; worse than that, he becomes quickly acquainted with her bizarre fetishes. This prompts him to leave her, and he moves into a house by himself near the fictive Harrison University campus. 

Naturally, Mitch's two best friends, Frank (Farrell) and Bernie (Vaughn), both of whom are married, see this as an opportunity to relive bachelor life vicariously through him, deciding to use his new house as the epicenter of youthful debauchery.

However, after the gang's first bash-which includes a guest appearance by the one and only Snoop Dogg-isn't appreciated by university administrators, Dean Pritchard (Jeremy Piven), who has an old score to settle with the riotous three, repossesses Mitch's house and declares it school property. This little quagmire doesn't deter Bernie, who comes up with the ingenious plan of turning his friend's pad into a frat house. The remainder of the film focuses on the trio's hilarious attempts at building and maintaining a fraternity that "will give nothing back to the academic community as well as provide no public service of any kind whatsoever."

"Old School's" strength lies in the fact that its lead characters are played by actors who have a knack for comedy. Vaughn is cast appropriately as Bernie, a contentedly sleazy and puerile persona reminiscent of his roles in "Swingers" and "Made," while Wilson gives a fine performance, though not quite as controlled or funny as his efforts in "Bottle Rocket" or "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Farrell, of SNL fame, steals the show as "Frank the Tank," a dim-wit struggling to reconcile his masculine urges with life as a newlywed. No, he's not the greatest actor in the world, and even his comedic style is very one-dimensional, but he's a still a lot of fun to watch.

Taken as a whole, "Old School" is simple, mindless fun that makes no pretensions about its obvious stupidity. Thankfully, none of the characters give sappy speeches at the end in an attempt to convey moralistic messages, and there are no corny lessons about friendship, true love or brotherhood. Also, while the humor isn't disgustingly immature, it's not exactly clever or intelligent either. In fact, this film has absolutely no substance at all, which is why it's so enjoyable. The creators of "Old School" simply want you to appreciate the film for what it is-little more than a look at the outrageous, unrealistic lives of three very funny guys who set out to have a good time.