With such early '80s comedy classics as "Stripes," "Animal House" and "Revenge of the Nerds" as early inspiration, it’s surprising that Todd Phillips, director of modern comedies like "Road Trip" (2000) and "Old School" (2003), got his start making documentaries. As a film student at New York University, Phillips received a great deal of attention for his first documentary, "Hated" (1993), a look at the controversial and often disgusting antics of the drug-addled and suicidal punk rocker G.G. Allin. Even though Phillips was only a junior at NYU, his movie got an unheard of theatrical, then later DVD, release. Before he was even a graduate of film school, it looked as though Phillips was already destined to succeed as a filmmaker. Born Todd Bunzel in Long Island, New York, Phillips spent a great deal of time watching the raunchy comedies of the 70's and 80's. From such a diet of popcorn movies came the desire to direct. After the success of "Hated", Phillips helped produce "Screwed" (1996), about the life and times of Screw magazine publisher, Al Goldstein, a Larry Flynt-esque pornographer and self-proclaimed defender of the First Amendment. Phillips then directed the critically acclaimed documentary, "Frat House" (1998). Originally shot as an installment for the popular HBO series "America Undercover", the film became mired in controversy after winning the Grand Jury prize for documentaries at Sundance. Phillips and his co-director, Andrew Gurland, were accused by the film’s participants of inaccurately portraying the fraternity’s hazing rituals. At one point, Phillips and Gurland were physically threatened and were forced to find another frat house, eventually becoming participants in the hazing themselves (Gurland was hospitalized after one of the rituals). HBO decided to shelve the project, but the film leaked out and managed to find a small underground following.
Phillips moved on to direct famed loudmouth Tom Green in a series of Pepsi One commercials. The collaboration led Phillips to direct his first feature film, “Road Trip” (2000), with Green. Executive Producer Ivan Reitman (“Stripes”, “Ghostbusters”) brought Phillips to DreamWorks and began the process of developing what became a mildly successful teen comedy in the same vein as the ones Phillips digested growing up. At the same time, Phillips began directing another documentary, “Bittersweet Motel” (2000), which followed the jam band phenomenon Phish through their 1996-97 tour that ended in a large, two-day festival in upstate Maine. Chosen because of his outsider status, Phillips approached a subject about which he knew nothing in an unrelenting and unapologetic fashion. However, Phillips became both a fan and friend of the band, even attending their shows after the film was completed.
After “Road Trip”, Phillips directed his next feature, “Old School”, a comedic take on an earlier documentary subject—college frat houses. Starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn, the story tells of a trio of thirty-something buddies who try to recapture the outrageous fun of their long-gone college years. The movie did well at the box office and received decent reviews despite being pigeon-holed as another gross-out teen comedy. Phillips then directed the remake of the popular 70’s TV show, “Starsky & Hutch” (2004), starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. His first foray into the remakes, Phillips pulled off a movie that parodied the tone of the original series while managing to add his distinct comedic style. The result was an episodic film that produced its share of laughs, but lost something in the telling of an actual story. Nonetheless, the movie did well at the box office. Phillips then signed on to direct another remake of a 70’s TV series, “The Six Million Dollar Man”, possibly starring Jim Carrey. The project was set to commence filming in the fall of 2004.
Profession(s):
producer, director, screenwriter, Actor
Sometimes Credited As:
