O Dono da Festa: A Vez dos Calouros

How do you judge a Hollywood movie? You could review a film from a classical perspective in terms of direction, acting, cinematography, story, and impact. Or, sometimes, you can judge whether a film achieves what it is wanted to be, even when that may be groveling to the lowest beast. On the latter score, I rate this movie as watchable.

I sat down with this film for something totally different from what I usually watch, and it was definitely different. Cheap sexual arousal, slap stick jokes, crudity, all in a revenge of the nerds schtick is the score du jour. But, within all that groveling to the lowest denominator, it delivers with an underlying, although trite, message. Bennett is interesting in his best Jim Carrey impersonation, and the rest of the cast plays along to his lead. Fuller is a delightful Dean Wormer. In fact, so much of the writing is pulled from Animal House, it sometimes feels like a cheap rip-off. But ultimately the movie finds its own feet and passes some time without feeling cheated.

This movie tries to follow the format of the original film. Thus, there are T&A galore, raunchy humor, bizarre characters, and wild parties. Bennett even kind of looks like Ryan Reynolds.

But generally, this flick doesn't do it as good as the original. Some of the jokes are kind of funny, but most are tepid or even complete knockoffs of old jokes I've heard before. While the original used eccentric characters and outlandish situations as springboards for humor, this one just goes deep into Bizzaro World (a college run by its ROTC director, who has posted "No Partying" and "No Kissing" signs, and can involuntarily enroll students in ROTC?).

Bennett decently mimicked Reynolds, but he didn't have the same charisma. Cavallari was charismatic, though, and I liked her as the love interest. Meredith Giangrande was downright sexy as forbidden- fruit Eve.

If you love being grossed out, this film ups the ante from the first one on the disgusting factor, although that's not particularly my thing. I do have to say, however, that the soft-porn aspects of this film are better than the original. There are scenes involving girls with vibrators, and a sex-ed class that illustrates intriguing positions (although with clothes on, but still), which may almost make you forget you're watching a comedy.

First, if anyone is watching a National Lampoon movie for Oscar nominations is a fool.

Second, its actually fairly funny. They just followed the basics.... lots of t&a, a douche bag, a hero, and some chick between the douche bag and the hero.... plus a lot of t&a

third, the only thing I didn't like is the lack of creativity of the jokes. They basically took a page out of Ace Ventura, and Adam Sandler.

I think Ryan Reynolds really made the first one good because, well it was Ryan Reynolds. And even though there have been a lot of N. Lapmoon movies, most of them were pretty... lame compared to this.

Wanna know a better way to spend an hour and 38 minutes? Beat your head against a wall, you'll get more out of it. Why is there no option for zero stars?

...But it's still pulled off pretty well. What you have to remember is that this movie wasn't created with hopes that it would win an Oscar.

Sure, it doesn't have what the original title had, but i'm sure fans of Van Wilder will find Freshman Year a movie worthy of a few laughs.

Jonathan Bennett, who plays Van, plays the character brilliantly and as close to Ryan Reynolds as you can possibly get.

The ending leaves room for a forth, so I, along with many other fans i'm sure, are hoping for another.

I can almost certainly say that the majority if not all critics will say only bad things about this movie. But i can certainly say they don't and probably wont ever get the point of movies like this. It's not just another "stoner movie" it's a movie for people who appreciate a laugh.