Van Wilder starts his freshman year at Coolidge College and embarks on an adventure to land the campus hottie and liberate his school from sexual oppression and party dysfunction.Van Wilder starts his freshman year at Coolidge College and embarks on an adventure to land the campus hottie and liberate his school from sexual oppression and party dysfunction.Van Wilder starts his freshman year at Coolidge College and embarks on an adventure to land the campus hottie and liberate his school from sexual oppression and party dysfunction.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Football fan
- (as Dennis Bowman)
- Corporal Benedict
- (as Nic Nac)
- General Thomas
- (as Mike Pinewski)
- Reverend Dawkins
- (as Leland Jones)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Van Wilder is Ryan Reynolds. It's that simple and nothing less. Jonathan has a bit of that roguish charm but he's no Ryan. Kristin Cavallari has limitations. She can't expand beyond her range. This movie has the prerequisite nudity and Jonathan's charms carry this for a little while. There may be a small chuckle or two but it gets boring by the midway point.
The supporting cast complements the lead with their own brand of humor. Farley, in particular, serves as an excellent foil to Van Wilder, providing laughs through their dynamic and chemistry. While the characters may lean on familiar college movie stereotypes, the performances inject a sense of freshness into the well-trodden territory.
Van Wilder Freshman Year succeeds in delivering plenty of laughs, relying on a mix of slapstick comedy, witty one-liners, and memorable set pieces. The college setting serves as a playground for the film's comedic antics, with the script embracing the absurdity of campus life. From wild parties to bizarre pranks, the film revels in its portrayal of a college experience gone hilariously awry.
While the movie doesn't aim to break new ground in terms of storytelling or character development, it achieves what it sets out to do - entertain with a healthy dose of humor. The narrative serves as a backdrop for the comedic set pieces, allowing the film to prioritize laughs over depth.
Van Wilder Freshman Year is a fun and entertaining addition to the Van Wilder series, Perfect for fans of college comedies, this installment offers a nostalgic and enjoyable trip back to the world of Van Wilder.
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.
After a reasonable Party Time 2, which was infinitely superior to the first, we have a drastic fall again. Not very fun, cliché, misogynistic (disgusting situations, and unnecessary even for the time), boring, dispensable... Disgusting situations, worse than scatological, unwatchable and that cause such disgust and nausea, Yuck, definitely unpleasant... The best part is when it ends, and the post-credits come, just as strange, but more fun...
It is one of those types of movies where you just know that it is not going to be a grand experience, but you still sit down to watch it, hoping that there might be just a speck of entertainment to be had here.
"Van Wilder: Freshman Years" turned out to be a less than mediocre movie, and not an overly entertaining one either. And I will actually go as far as to say that you should definitely not view this as a prequel to the 2002 movie. Instead, view it as a stand-alone movie that has no ties to the 2002 movie.
This movie relies on cheap laughs, which are brought about mostly by humor well below the belt. But many times this humor just doesn't really come through properly. So it seems that it is the result of some half-hearted script writing.
The storyline in "Van Wilder: Freshman Years" is just not a very interesting or original one. It is all something that essentially has been seen before in similar late teen comedies. So don't count on originality being the key ingredient in this movie.
For a comedy of this type, then "Van Wilder: Freshman Years" was less than mediocre. And once you have seen it the first time, chances that you will return to watch it a second time are slim to none.
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the ROTC cadets first appear at Van Wilder's dorm room door, their names are "Benedict" and "Arnold" referencing the famous American Revolutionary general who defected to the British side in 1780.
- GoofsVan's phone is an iPhone 3G. However, the film is supposed to be set in 1995 meaning it is impossible for him to own one.
- Quotes
Lt. Dirk Arnold: Well, look what we have here!
Lt. Dirk Arnold: I haven't seen this many turds since I won that campus hot dog eating contest.
[Dirk and Benedict laugh]
Corporal Benedict: Yeah, I haven't seen this many pansies since I was picking flowers yesterday.
[Benedict laughs, but Dirk gives him a strange look]
Corporal Benedict: [whispers] Don't you remember I was making that arrangement?
- Crazy creditsA very lovely movie that moved me when i was bored
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Memorable School Speeches in Movies (2014)
- SoundtracksYou're Gonna Go Far Kid
Performed by The Offspring
Written by Dexter Holland (as Bryan Holland)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Van Wilder 3
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $20,543
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color