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When they made this, it was a parody. All the groups were extremely exaggerated, for comedic effect. Now, in 2019, we know, too late, that it was a warning. And the groups are actually like that, now. Only it's not funny.

PCU is a hilarious college comedy starring Jeremy Piven. A pretty normal looking preppy dude goes to Port Chester University to decide if he wants to go there and ends up befriending the people who live at "The Pit", who are at odds with some of the PC groups on campus and a thorn in the side of the administration. Jeremy Piven is a great and charismatic lead and even if he is pushing 40, he still is going to college. PCU is not too far removed from Animal House or Revenge Of The Nerds, but updated for the 90's. It plays on stereotypes, but in a fun way and is very funny. David Spade appears as well as a swarmy, preppy, frat boy type, pretty much an all around weenie. George Clinton And The Parliament Funkadelic appear to play The Pit and for good tunes. So watch PCU and have a good time, or you can ..."blow me where the pampers is".

This is a near great movie that perfectly captures a time and place where AIDS was at the forefront of everybody's minds, grunge had revolutionized society overnight, feminism was taking it's place on campuses. Political correctness was growing and segregating campuses. There was a resurgence in pot use and a new love affair with hippie culture. In many ways this film predicted a lot of what would eventually happen to campuses and society 25 years later. It's scary to think it's been 25 years already.

The star of the show is Jeremy Piven. David Spade is also good and this is one of Favreau's earliest roles. There are some great witty lines here. Those of a different generation may not get it though I think a lot of today's younger generation will be able to relate.

2024 UPDATE: 5 years after my first review on this and 30 years after its release, this move is more relevant than ever.

As far as homages to / imitations of "Animal House" go, this has to rank as a pretty good one. It's got good characters, some amusing dialogue, decent satire of special interest groups, and a cool soundtrack. Its pacing is acceptable, its running time brief (81 minutes in total), and its spirit irresistible.

Marking a rare directorial effort by actor Hart Bochner (who's best known as weaselly executive Ellis in the action classic "Die Hard"), "PCU" features Chris Young as Tom Lawrence, a clean cut, wide eyed "normal" sort of guy who is checking out Port Chester University to see if he'd like to go there in the fall. He gets caught up in the fervor of various "politically correct" activists, as well as the activities of the wacky guys and gals of The Pit, a student group known for their nonconformity.

As you may guess from that running time, there's really not that much story here, but there are enough laughs to keep the movie watchable. Jeremy Piven contributes a charismatic star turn as "Droz", leader of The Pit. Megan Ward and Sarah Trigger supply appealing love interests for Young and Piven. Jessica Walter does fine as an easier-on-the-eyes version of Dean Vernon Wormer. David Spade is extremely well cast as the snooty and smarmy preppie McPherson. There are also engaging performances by actor / director Jon Favreau and Alex Desert. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic further spice things up with their appearance. The climactic party shows how sometimes people just need to lighten up and enjoy life a little more.

With its well defined protagonists and antagonists, the end is appropriately satisfying, and overall "PCU" provides solid entertainment to those just looking to have a good time.

Seven out of 10.

I loved this movie growing up! I was in my teens and couldn't wait to get to college!

I thought the group's were funny but now 20+ years later and it's scary how accurate this movie is to the way the US is now! So many different groups of people complaining or protesting about something

One of the best attempts at recreating the legendary iconography that is Animal House. This movie is full of quotable quotes and less than known actors at the time. Check it out if only for Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau and Jake Busey in an amusing cameo as a stoner/ultimate Frisbee player. Favreau and Piven's interaction recalls old comedy schtick but in a very endearing way. The appearance of George Clinton makes the movie worth watching if only for the party scene. And if you didn't already think the soundtrack to hell was going to be Starland Vocal Band here in lies a scene to convince you otherwise. David Spade should not be overlooked in his role as a preppy frat boy wanna-be and his rant about all of the PC sects at the end of the movie is completely priceless. This movie though much overlooked is a cult classic and should be well recognized in the pantheon of college themed flicks.

Funny college comedy in the "Animal House" vein, with Piven out to save his dorm from being turned over to the young Republican legion led by David Spade. The film's gimmick has the school's last party dorm constantly under attack by women's libbers, radical black nationalists and vegetarians (who get raw meat dumped on them in the film's opening scenes, sure to weed out anybody who really shouldn't see this movie anyway). Above average laughs and sincerity for this kind of fare.

I liked seeing George Clinton in the film, too; I'm a big fan so I'm sort of biased, but I thought he and the guys and gals of P-Funk brought a lot to the film. In fact, several young people (I'm 27 myself, all you old Maggotheads) have told me they first heard of Parliament Funkadelic from this movie. That's great, but I sure wish they'd picked something better than that insipid "jump jump" song they used.

I must have watched PCU over two dozen times back in the late 90s when Comedy Central was running it to death. Absolutely the kind of film I would NEVER EVER think I'd like, but I watch it every time it's on. I developed a genuine affection for it. Why? I don't know. After all, it's 90% "Animal House" ripoff right to the core. The whole slob-house gang versus the useless administration and annoying rival Greek letter outfit. Instead of "Otis, My Man!" there's George Clinton and P-Funk. Instead of Otter, there's Droz, instead of John Belushi, there's "Gutter" and so on. I know this reads like I'm putting it down, but far from it. Any movie about college that features a student who's senior thesis is watching TV 24/7 just to prove that there's always a Gene Hackman or Michael Caine movie playing is OK with me! Very twisted! I'll never buy the DVD, but I will watch it anytime I happen to catch it on my cable.

Perhaps one of the greatest college comedy films ever created. Bringing in the Nineties Politically Correct atmosphere, PCU delivers a humorous portrayal of college life amongst all the angst of the down-trodden minority groups. Comedic actor Jeremy Piven as 'Droz' leads a great cast including an early appearance by a then-chunky Jon Favreau (star of Swingers) as 'Gutter'. The downtrodden members of 'the Pit' (an unconventional fraternity), must battle against the minority groups at Port Chester University in order to thwart the 'preppies' attempts to take over 'the Pit'.

Good talent assembled here. Spade is at the top of his game. Piven is very natural and Favreau is strong as usual. However, the film as a whole tends to disappoint. It just tries too hard to be the "Animal House" for a new generation. The problem is there is no real story, at least not one that you care about. Coupled with this is way too many weaker actors getting way too much camera time. Spade disappears for way too long, when he is obviously carrying the film. Moreover, there is also a lack of affection for the characters here. Oh yeah, it was meant to be a stinging indictment on "political correctness" run amok. The problem is that the main characters, the supposed good guys, are a bunch of jerks that are simply trying to be cool. They are not cool! You will laugh at some scenes, laugh hard. However, then you will see five minutes of garbage that is just lame. Could have been a lasting movie, well, no, probably not.

I'm really glad this movie was able to find its audience on video, because it deserves recognition. This is a damn good film! The unfortunate thing about a movie like "PCU" is that the "Animal House" comparisons are inevitable. But there's no point in comparing. "PCU" stands on its own two feet. "Animal House" is one take on college fraternities and "PCU" is another. It's like comparing "The Naked Gun" to "In the Heat of the Night," because they're both about cops. The characters and plot in this movie are in no way derivative of "Animal House." Jeremy Piven was a great choice for the lead. I've always been a fan of his, but he always gets stuck with supporting roles. In this case, he proves that he has the confidence to carry a lead role. His laid-back sense of humor makes the jokes all-the-more hilarious. I'm often more appreciative of comic actors who don't try to hammer a joke to death with mugging and wacky inflections. Piven delivers a joke the way it's supposed to be delivered--in a straight fashion. We don't see enough of that nowadays. And I can say the same about most of the actors in the film, with maybe the exception of David Spade. He's the type of actor, who can either be sarcastically funny or sarcastically annoying. He doesn't exactly provide the film's funniest moments, but he plays a moderately small role and doesn't get much of a chance to do any annoying shtick.

In the DVD commentary, Jeremy Piven mentioned that the actors weren't allowed to improvise, and he was very disapproving of director Hart Bochner's choice to follow the script verbatim. Luckily, that didn't exactly hurt the film, since the actors were working with a solid script. The point is the movie doesn't look scripted. Whether or not they actually were, the actors seemed comfortable with the material and delivered every gag with great precision. Besides, when you let actors improvise too much, that can also hurt a film. I liked the "Rush Hour" movies, but at times it's so evident that Chris Tucker was stepping out of character to make the audience laugh that there were parts where I was taken out of the movie. I certainly can't complain too much, because the comic style of "PCU" had a uniqueness to it that really stood out for me. After watching Hart Bochner's extremely broad spoof, "High School High," I wasn't exactly sure he had a knack for directing comedy. But in this case, he proved me wrong. The gags here are nowhere near as broad, and it helps that the actors don't act like they're in a comedy. Plus, there are very few cheap shots. Very few jokes about bodily functions of genitalia. In other words, the humor had a certain intelligence--something I DEFINITELY can't say about most comedies nowadays. This is not one of those comedies aimed at a teen to young adult audience, where you're allowed to have an I.Q. of 10. As you can tell from the memorable quotes section, there are plenty of great lines. "You're gonna wear the T-shirt of the band you're gonna go see? Don't be that guy." By the way, that's the only line Jeremy was allowed to improvise, for all you trivia buffs. The most memorable gag, in my opinion, is the one involving the sign language interpreter, who has to translate phrases like "butt pirate" and "pillow biter." No one can deny that gag was classic.

Another way cool thing about this movie: the gorgeous Megan Ward. I've never seen her look hotter. She has such a gorgeous girl-next-door look that when Chris Young's character got to kiss her, I felt his happiness. There's a great shot of her from behind, where she's wearing low-cut denim shorts. Very nice! So many elements of this movie just click. I loved the soundtrack too. The songs played over the opening and closing credits are both way cool, and plus you're treated to the great sounds of George Clinton during the film. It was an original idea to choose George Clinton, since you'd expect to see a hard rock or heavy metal band in a film of this sort. All in all, go see this overlooked gem of a movie! You won't be disappointed!

Good god where has this movie been all my life. Just wiped off the face of the earth. Endless random familiar faces popping up everywhere. Lucille bluth? Favreau ?? (who kind of steals the whole movie). This thing is so 90s. So college. Admittedly not the biggest spade guy but this might be the perfect role for him and potentially the best I've seen him in a movie. Kind of a wanna be animal house but still solid and clearly way ahead of its time. Elite soundtrack. Clinton still rips. The dog. Lead blonde guy could not be more forgettable. What's his name? Piven is a little less piven than usual. This movie should've been a little longer.

I am a huge fan of both Jeremy Piven and Jon Favreau, so I figured this would be a pretty good movie. And had it been made about five or six years later, it might have been. I myself was too young to be attending college in the 90's, so the whole satire on political correctness wasn't as poignant for me, leaving the movie to stand on the strength of its comedy and acting and whatnot. Having no sentimental value to me, this movie was just horribly outdated and surprisingly poorly acted. I love these types of movies as much as anyone else, but this had some serious cheese factor going on. I found myself laughing more at how corny it was than the intended jokes. It had some funny moments, but they were just too few and far between to overcome the overall lameness of the movie as a whole

I only watched this cos I'm such a fan of Piven, and I had my doubts about it, but I really enjoyed it. Its no masterpiece, but there are some laugh-out-loud funny bits. JP is wonderful as ever, and all the caricature stereotypes are spot on. But geez - I did not recognise Favreau - I had to rewind to check it really was him! As my friend from Boston said, this may be dismissed as only appealing to frat-boys, but I'm a 30 year old, vegetarian, English woman - and it made me laugh (hey you know what - good for them chucking a load of meat out the window - now no-one can eat it!)

Oh, and please, who posted this comment "I'm afraid that only those of us who attended Wesleyan University at the very start of the 90's are going to get it" Get over yourselves. Any Red Dwarf fans out there better just stop laughing, cos unless you went to Liverpool Uni like the writers, and me & my friends, I bet you don't get every single joke, cos I've been to the Aigburth Arms, and I know first hand how funny the curtains there are. Alright?

Watch the movie, it will probably make you laugh. It might not. Regardless of where you went to school.

"PCU" is the typical story of a movie that got slaughtered at the box office, but somehow still found an audience afterwards. It's not difficult to see why it didn't take of right away: it's really sort of a thinking man's college comedy. It utterly refuses to go down the usual gross-out route (it's a great route, but still), but instead tries to be a biting satire. Some of the stuff is pretty good (protesting against protests!), other stuff falls flat but you still appreciate the effort. The actors are sort of a mixed bag, but Jeremy Piven owns the movie with a charismatic performance as the token rebel. I'm assuming Megan Ward was also great, I was distracted by her intense 90s hotness. There aren't that many gags overall, but the brutal style of the thing definitely makes it stand out. "PCU" may not be the hidden gem of 90s comedies some have tried to make of it, but I'm happy it's still around.

A lot of people call this movie a third rate Animal House. I can't really argue with that assesment, but at the same time...I really, really love PCU. I watch it whenever it is on Comedy Central. I love the cast of the movie, I love the making fun of sacred cows like the PC movement of the mid 90's, I love that this movie gleefully embraces every cliche of the college comedy. I am a film student with film studenty tastes most of the time, but I really love this movie, and can't quite explain why.

I have always loved this movie. It captured a time when "politically correct" was becoming a watchword and a culture. Looking back, the protesters look tame and quaint compared to what we have on campuses today. Jeremy Piven is the obvious standout as the leader of The Pit, a decidedly Un-PC group on campus who just wants to have fun in a place where everyone is offended by everything. Everyone involved is amazing and the film is endlessly quotable. It's not Animal House and it's not trying to be. After loving it for years, I bought the DVD and listened to the commentary. Director Hart Bochner comes off as a guy who just wanted to make a good film, and I think he succeeded. Jeremy Piven on the other hand, comes off as an arrogant prima donna who endlessly brings up how, "If only I'd been allowed to improvise my entire dialogue, this film would have succeeded." Given some public statements he's made since then, like John Cusack wouldn't have had a career if it hadn't been for him, my opinion of Piven as a person is low. Despite that, he really does turn in a signature perform in this film. It doesn't take itself seriously and you should go into it just wanting to be entertained. It's a nostalgic trip for those of us who were teens/twenties in the 90s, like Airheads, SFW, or Singles.

A shame this little gem didn't get the broad appeal of other movies that simply copy it or wimp out on the jokes. This is a movie that I can watch every year and always fully enjoy it.

The George Clinton song at the end truly rocks and may be the first true foray into GC's funk that most suburban under 21's see and hear.

I recommend this movie highly.

PCU is a 1994 comedy about a group of college underachievers and the mischief they get into on campus. But when they learn that they are about to get kicked out of their house they attempt to pull off the most outrageous party ever to try and stop it.

This movie is kind of absurd and silly, but it's one of the funniest films from the 1990's. It has a great cast of actors before they were well known, and some very funny memorable moments and dialogue. The pit lead by Droz (Jeremy Piven) will keep you laughing through the whole movie. This is a film with crude humor that just screams at you to have a good time.

If you enjoy this type of comedy, then there is no reason that you shouldn't be entertained.

This movie is really bad. Trust me. It's a movie which wants to be Animal House in the 90's or maybe Revenge of the Nerds, except with slacker idiots instead, but really... I can honestly say that this is the worst movie I've seen in several years. The producers somehow thought that taking a bunch of bad stereotypes and wrapping them around a pitiful excuse for a plot would make some sort of social satire about the modern college. Frankly, there's nothing worse than failed social satire. It's not believeable, on target, or humorous. I was watching the movie at home, on TV, and I walked out on it.

For anyone who has attended a liberal arts college in the last 10 years, this film is for you. While I find it very cool that the Wesleyan College people take credit for the film (in the same way that Dartmouth folk take pride in their own "Animal House"), I don't think you needed to have attended that school to identify with this one. The wymynists, the stoners (playing "disc"), and the overzealous administration trying to rid the campus of any semblance of tradition or spirit are unfortunate but all too common themes on campuses across this country both large and small. The situations about the social, academic and the extracurricular were all right on. Very funny movie.

But this film is much more than a spoof commentary on today's PCUs. It's an entertaining film. It's just plain funny. Come on, who didn't know someone in college trying to prove a thesis as ridiculous as the Caine-Hackman theory? I went to an Ivy League school and there was the urban myth about the guy writing the thesis explaining why the bubbles in a 12-ounce plastic cup of beer always form the same circle formation at the top of the cup.

David Spade was great. Jeremy Piven and John Favreau were excellent before they were famous people. Overall, an awesome movie. And by the way, to anyone who makes comments like: this wasn't a funny movie and would only appeal to "frat boys": they made this movie because of people like you. To everyone else, take this movie for what it was, a satire and a good one at that.

Most College movies can be described as lame or stupid. This is one of the few that stays out of these two categories. This film starts out stong, and for the 90's I give credit for handling real life taboos of drugs, drinking, student radicals, and eating meat. Crap goes on all the time, but when I was in University in the 90's the radical fringe made the place more like a jail than a learning establishment. Being resented for your background, or life style of wearing leather, eating read meat, and drinking beer. I never could understand why everyone else has to live their way, and why they have too name call and shout all the time. (Sometimes, I found some of the students turn the place into a kindergarten.) (EQ vs IQ) Anyway, this movie is a protest to the PC establishment, and is funny. When one pokes fun at another, and these PCers can not take a joke; you get the huge reaction that the prankster wants. The problem with the last quarter, unlike Animal House, the movie wimps out, instead of having one very big prank at the ending. 6/10

My God this movie is awful! Next to Mr. Holland's Opus, this is the worst movie I have ever seen. There is just not a funny line in the entire movie - but they try so hard, and that just makes it annoying. You can imagine a bunch of frat boys sitting around watching this and thinking it's entertainment. The only thing that could have made this movie more annoying is to put Bob Saget, Pauley Shore, and Adam Sandler in it, and give it a country music sound track.