Calouros em Apuros

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son.--Dean Wormer, "Animal House".

Movies like "Going Greek" show how really, really difficult it is to make another film as good and inspired as "Animal House".

First, you need to have a good script. This doesn't.

Then you need to have a funny cast. This doesn't.

Then add in an inspired director who can find and enhance the comedy. Justin Zackhan ain't it.

Maybe if the people watching this film are as trite, loud, drunk and stupid as the characters in it, they might find this film amusing, but I doubt it. I found "Going Greek" to be a sad, formulaic waste of time.

The makers of this movie should have known they were in trouble when they hired Chris Owens to be the tough guy, rather than the geek. Did they honestly think that viewers would think of him as anything other than a complete idiot? And I am not just basing it on the Sherminatior. I am basing it on the fact that he clearly is a complete geek. In reality, he would NEVER get in a fraternity (which REALLY makes a person sad.) let alone be one of the big men in it.

The rest of the movie was equally as poorly made. Predictable, unfunny, and just plain painful to watch. This movie is not worth even 5 minutes of the viewer's time.

Don't let the fact that Going Greek lacks a theatrical release fool you. It is awesomely funny from beginning to end, and especially great for anyone who's ever been to college. Before I continue my review however, I should note that I have a potential bias toward the film. I am in the film as a volunteer "extra" (one of the frat brothers). But I say potential bias, because I was a huge fan of the movie before most of the shooting ever took place. Before doing any work on the film, myself and a group of others were reading Going Greek and we couldn't help laughing convulsively as a huddled mass around the one script we obtained. The movie is truly hysterically funny, so I hope you understand that I write this review as a true fan of the work. Honestly, I feel that the fact it did not get wide theatrical distribution, truly bespeaks the straight forward aggressiveness of its antics and humor. It does not hold back its humor in any self-depricating attempt to "appeal" to the masses. This movie is straight up for those who have wanted a good college film with great laughs. Going Greek's first "cut" and its screenings had great responses and I know that if you ever enjoyed watching Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds, and American Pie, you will truly enjoy this film and put your copy of Going Greek right next to them on your shelf. I can't wait to get my copy and finally be able to share its genius with my friends and especially my old college buddies. Enjoy!

Brutal. I will probably never get those 90 minutes back. How could a movie with Claire Forlani and Susan Ward be so hard to watch. Poor Oliver...I hope his sister is still ragging on him for that poor career decision. This movie is on my top 3 for "worst movies ever." Thanks. So if you don't mind, I'm going to go have 2 beers and write a movie. Probably funnier than this one.

I had the pleasure of catching this film at a screening in New York and wanted to make sure others got word that this is a film to see. First off, let's have no misconceptions here: Going Greek is not Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather or Gone With the Wind. It is, however, an excellent addition to the genre set by Animal House and further embellished by Porky's and American Pie. Is it an "important" film? Of course not, but if you want to laugh A LOT and spend a very amusing 90 minutes with a crisp, well directed and thoughtful film, then check it out.

Other reviewers have said a lot of what I would say, so I won't bore you with repetitive details, but nobody thus far has commented on the pacing of the film. A lot of movies, comedy or otherwise, spend too much time on individual scenes. The special quality of this film, and the effectiveness of Director Justin Zackham (watch for more from this guy) is that the movie drops into each scene, delivers its joke - good or bad - and gets out quickly. The result is that you are never bored. Humor being what it is, you won't be able to satisfy everyone with every joke. Zackham intuitively understands this and makes sure you don't get the chance to get restless waiting for a scene to end. The odds of this are mitigated somewhat as the writing is good enough that most of the scenes are actually really funny.

Overall, this is a film worth seeing. High art it ain't, but good laughs, a well written script and really good directing made it very worthwhile.