Going Greek

Let's get this straight up front: "Going Greek" does not deviate from the college-sex-party genre first established by "Animal House." Nor does it rise about fare like "Old School" or "American Pie." However, without the benefit of marquee names, "Going Greek" unearths a gem that is seldom found in most of the dredge released these days by National Lampoon: comedy. "Going Greek" is genuinely funny, with a fantastic no-name cast and terrific story to boot. If anything, the film is more akin to "PCU," another cult college film made way before Jeremy Piven joined an "Entourage" and John Favreau launched "Zathura."

And who knows? Maybe wider audiences will someday know the names Dylan Bruno and Dublin James.

Check it out.

Does this movie take itself seriously? Meaning, seriously as a comedy targeted on young audience? While I know the (self imposed) limitations of American campus comedy and know what to expect from such a movie, I must say, that only a few moments were worth a laugh (and I can take even cheesy or perverse jokes).

The point is, that many moments probably were meant to be laughed on, but in the same time they were pretty sad... Sad in a way, that the movie, without its end (that I don't want to reveal for those who might want to watch this movie "seriously" as it is) could be pretty illustrative sociological study of the American youth, or even of the birth of many specific pathological features of the American society.

Bearing all the possible inhumane hazing, torture, ridiculous rituals, laws of the mass, do-what-group-does mentality, declaring machismo and pure male chauvinism as "tradition", or self-destructive alcoholism as "culture" ... for what? "Being part of"? "Helping friend being part of"? The motivation of characters is not very believable - considering the amount of dignity they are willing to sacrifice, with absurd indifference.

With all this said, the movie might be pretty good serious study of the college fraternity mentality system - evoking the despair from any well-known tragedies, invoking lot's of anger in viewer. But in this sense, it lacks something like catharsis. One can see, how genre framing can deform our view of certain situations. We try to laugh on what is really a matter of anger and sadness.

Thus, one has a feeling, that all this inhumanity is just fun, part of wonderful students life, something to be consumed and laughed on ... and forgotten. As this movie should be.

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.

A great comedy with alot on snazz and fun. If you are a brother of a fraternity, or have at least gone through pledgeship, you will definately enjoy the humor in this movie. With plenty of beer drinking, experiences through "hell week", and plenty of girls this movie will entertain you til' the very end!!!

I went into this movie with some really loooow expectations, but the cast, Dylan Bruno, Oliver Hudson, Susan Ward and more actors whose faces i recognize convinced me to hire this out.

And for some strange reason...i liked it.

Jake is a failed football star who decides to help his geeky cousin get into a fraternity, and while this movie doesn't really teach us anything that we all haven't seen before, i have to say that it is the first time i have ever seen a 'Soggy Biscuit' as we call it in New Zealand, portrayed on screen.

Yes its stupid and immature - but i somehow get the feeling this was exactly what the filmmakers were striving for. Great acting, great cast and a sweet underlying message about friendship make this movie watchable at least.

My only complaints are firstly the tag line on the cover 'Animal House meets American Pie' Animal House is a classic and i don't think this movie will ever come close to the cult status Animal House enjoys. And secondly the lighting in this movie was grainy and horrendous, when i first started watching it my first thought was that i was watching a pirate copy and as the film went along i started thinking that maybe they were using hand held cameras from 1995.

But all in all, a decent movie to watch if you have the time.