Starring: Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell, Kevin Covais, Nick Zano, Gary Owen, Haley Bennett, Nathalie Walker, Camille Mana
Directed By: Deb Hagan
Written By: Dan Callahan, Adam Ellison
Released: August 29, 2008
Grade: C+
College might be a predictable party film that is made up of stereotypes and clichés, yet it is still nowhere near as bad as the trailer portrayed it as. It made is seem extremely generic, just seeming like another bad American Pie sequel. Surprisingly enough, although the content fits this description, it manages to somehow have a higher quality and likeability to it.
When they get there the dorm is “occupied” so Carter convinces his friends to go to the
fraternity that his cousin was a legend at. At first they are denied when they go there. Since the fraternity has been suspended, they aren’t allowed any new pledges. The only problem with this is two of the leaders, Teague (Zano) and Bearcat (Owen), have become so bored without others to pick on that they decide to let the boys stay so they can make them their new pledges for the weekend. They send them to a gay fraternity party, steal their money, max out their credit cards, make them clean an utterly disgusting house, tape them naked to the school’s statue, leave them stranded covered in mud and left to a heard of pigs, and write obscene words on Morris’ face making him wreck his chances at a scholarship. Not to mention making them take body shots from a completely naked and very hairy Bearcat. The grudges get worse when a girl that Teague had a one night stand with, Kendall (Bennett), starts to take an interest in Kevin. Her friend, Amy (Walker) is about to have sex with Carter and than when other guests come in she ends up underneath the bed with him, witnessing a lesbian encounter, both of them are equally excited and turned on by this. As hesitant as Morris is about partying, another one of the girls’ friends, Heather (Mana), seems to be able to get him in the mood. Their luck with these girls just about runs out when Teague essentially blackmails them over the girls. If they don’t do everything that he wants or lets him take advantage of them, than Teague will tell Kendall, Amy, and Heather that they are high school guys, ruining any chance they might have had with them.
Despite not having very in depth characters to work with all of the actors did pretty well. Drake Bell was able to play a non-Nickelodeon character and the opposite of his character on his show, Drake and Josh very well. At first I thought, Andrew Caldwell as Carter was going to be endlessly annoying perhaps with a funny moment here and there. He actually did much better than I expected him too. He was actually believable and reminded me of people that I have known. Kevin Covais plays the nerd well and he does play him as a person rather than just a stereotype. The three of their characters show striking similarities to the Superbad bunch. Andrew Caldwell practically is Jonah Hill here: the overweight virgin who is still cocky and determined to have a wild time. Drake Bell plays the Michael Cera character as he is likeable and nice, yet it seems that what drives him is more determination of proving himself and tries to change himself in the process. Kevin Covais is no McLovin, but mostly because he doesn’t think he is cool and is a more serious and conscious character. I did appreciate that Morris knew that school and his future was more important than getting laid or partying until he pukes. Of course the three boys in College aren’t nearly as classic or funny as those from Superbad, yet it still seems to work and is enjoyable enough.
I was glad to see Nick Zano here and although he has the same lady killer reputation that he had for awhile on What I Like About You, he plays a much more heartless and cruel character that is driven by his own insecurities. Gary Owen as Bearcat fits a pretty similar description. His appearance at times in pretty funny and his name seems more accurate than you would guess. Yet just as with Teague we are given the question, why do these guys refuse to grow up? I was happy that the film posted this question and explored it a bit, since these guys should have graduated and gone on to a career and began their life. They feel insecure about their capabilities and therefore still do something so juvenile as pick on younger guys when they were once in the position they are in now. Picking on those who are trying to get in to the fraternity is bad enough, but these guys were just looking for a place to stay for the weekend and they torment these innocent boys who are just trying to get a college experience for the weekend. This really shows how much desperation they have and that they really don’t even know what else to do with themselves.
Haley Bennet gave us a real and very likeable girl in Kendall. She was one of the few girls who wasn’t easy and actually wanted to take the time to get to know someone and in the end didn’t want to hook up with guys. If there was going to be a relation with another guy she wanted it to be honest and more than a one night thing. Camille Mana has been getting a few roles in some teen comedies like this and Smart People. She doesn’t have a very big role here although she is in the a decent amount of the film, but she does good with what she has. Nathalie Walker is pretty funny as she strangely enough seems like the female counter part of Carter although at first we just assume she is going to blow him off, yet she seems to be just as in to things as he is. Ryan Pinkston does great and has amazing energy and personality. The only drawback is he has one extended line at the beginning and then at the end he is shown, but doesn’t have any further lines. The movie could have truly benefited from him having a larger part and I am sure if he would have joined them on their college trip, the laughs would have multiplied.
By far the weakest part of College is the story. There is simply not very much to it and it is something we have seen a million times before. The movie is very predictable and there are a number of clichéd lines. The characters, although not completely original are still given time and background so that we actually care about them. Most of the actors involved have a lot of charisma, which makes the film a lot more fun. The characters do learn something from their crazy weekend and have a better head on their shoulders because of it. Also, most of the jokes in the movie are actually pretty decent, keeping things light and funny. College is a very forgettable film that takes things from a lot of other high school, college, and party based films, but still manages to be more likeable than you would expect and in the end is harmless entertainment
Directed By: Deb Hagan
Written By: Dan Callahan, Adam Ellison
Released: August 29, 2008
Grade: C+
College might be a predictable party film that is made up of stereotypes and clichés, yet it is still nowhere near as bad as the trailer portrayed it as. It made is seem extremely generic, just seeming like another bad American Pie sequel. Surprisingly enough, although the content fits this description, it manages to somehow have a higher quality and likeability to it.
Kevin (Bell) is a high school sophomore who is responsible and focused on school. His girlfriend, Gina (Tal), is so focused on partying her entire senior year and feels that Kevin will be holding her back in doing that. So she breaks up with him, which makes him feel miserable and makes him believe that she is right and he is nothing more than a loser. Kevin can’t shake this feeling and sets out to prove her wrong. His friend, Morris (Covais), is visiting a college, that his parents have been pressuring him to get in to for years, for his scholarship interview. Morris was planning on staying in a dorm there and getting campus tours and learning about the school. Kevin and his friend, Carter (Caldwell) who is a bit more wild than Kevin and Morris decide to come along too. After hearing a crazy time that a friend of theirs had all three of them decide to make this weekend the best they ever had.
When they get there the dorm is “occupied” so Carter convinces his friends to go to the
fraternity that his cousin was a legend at. At first they are denied when they go there. Since the fraternity has been suspended, they aren’t allowed any new pledges. The only problem with this is two of the leaders, Teague (Zano) and Bearcat (Owen), have become so bored without others to pick on that they decide to let the boys stay so they can make them their new pledges for the weekend. They send them to a gay fraternity party, steal their money, max out their credit cards, make them clean an utterly disgusting house, tape them naked to the school’s statue, leave them stranded covered in mud and left to a heard of pigs, and write obscene words on Morris’ face making him wreck his chances at a scholarship. Not to mention making them take body shots from a completely naked and very hairy Bearcat. The grudges get worse when a girl that Teague had a one night stand with, Kendall (Bennett), starts to take an interest in Kevin. Her friend, Amy (Walker) is about to have sex with Carter and than when other guests come in she ends up underneath the bed with him, witnessing a lesbian encounter, both of them are equally excited and turned on by this. As hesitant as Morris is about partying, another one of the girls’ friends, Heather (Mana), seems to be able to get him in the mood. Their luck with these girls just about runs out when Teague essentially blackmails them over the girls. If they don’t do everything that he wants or lets him take advantage of them, than Teague will tell Kendall, Amy, and Heather that they are high school guys, ruining any chance they might have had with them.Despite not having very in depth characters to work with all of the actors did pretty well. Drake Bell was able to play a non-Nickelodeon character and the opposite of his character on his show, Drake and Josh very well. At first I thought, Andrew Caldwell as Carter was going to be endlessly annoying perhaps with a funny moment here and there. He actually did much better than I expected him too. He was actually believable and reminded me of people that I have known. Kevin Covais plays the nerd well and he does play him as a person rather than just a stereotype. The three of their characters show striking similarities to the Superbad bunch. Andrew Caldwell practically is Jonah Hill here: the overweight virgin who is still cocky and determined to have a wild time. Drake Bell plays the Michael Cera character as he is likeable and nice, yet it seems that what drives him is more determination of proving himself and tries to change himself in the process. Kevin Covais is no McLovin, but mostly because he doesn’t think he is cool and is a more serious and conscious character. I did appreciate that Morris knew that school and his future was more important than getting laid or partying until he pukes. Of course the three boys in College aren’t nearly as classic or funny as those from Superbad, yet it still seems to work and is enjoyable enough.
I was glad to see Nick Zano here and although he has the same lady killer reputation that he had for awhile on What I Like About You, he plays a much more heartless and cruel character that is driven by his own insecurities. Gary Owen as Bearcat fits a pretty similar description. His appearance at times in pretty funny and his name seems more accurate than you would guess. Yet just as with Teague we are given the question, why do these guys refuse to grow up? I was happy that the film posted this question and explored it a bit, since these guys should have graduated and gone on to a career and began their life. They feel insecure about their capabilities and therefore still do something so juvenile as pick on younger guys when they were once in the position they are in now. Picking on those who are trying to get in to the fraternity is bad enough, but these guys were just looking for a place to stay for the weekend and they torment these innocent boys who are just trying to get a college experience for the weekend. This really shows how much desperation they have and that they really don’t even know what else to do with themselves.Haley Bennet gave us a real and very likeable girl in Kendall. She was one of the few girls who wasn’t easy and actually wanted to take the time to get to know someone and in the end didn’t want to hook up with guys. If there was going to be a relation with another guy she wanted it to be honest and more than a one night thing. Camille Mana has been getting a few roles in some teen comedies like this and Smart People. She doesn’t have a very big role here although she is in the a decent amount of the film, but she does good with what she has. Nathalie Walker is pretty funny as she strangely enough seems like the female counter part of Carter although at first we just assume she is going to blow him off, yet she seems to be just as in to things as he is. Ryan Pinkston does great and has amazing energy and personality. The only drawback is he has one extended line at the beginning and then at the end he is shown, but doesn’t have any further lines. The movie could have truly benefited from him having a larger part and I am sure if he would have joined them on their college trip, the laughs would have multiplied.
By far the weakest part of College is the story. There is simply not very much to it and it is something we have seen a million times before. The movie is very predictable and there are a number of clichéd lines. The characters, although not completely original are still given time and background so that we actually care about them. Most of the actors involved have a lot of charisma, which makes the film a lot more fun. The characters do learn something from their crazy weekend and have a better head on their shoulders because of it. Also, most of the jokes in the movie are actually pretty decent, keeping things light and funny. College is a very forgettable film that takes things from a lot of other high school, college, and party based films, but still manages to be more likeable than you would expect and in the end is harmless entertainment
This does have a Superbad vibe rip off to it.
Sorry it was not that good.
End of the summer brings a lot of bad films.
Good review.