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
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.
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.
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.
This film is a prequel of the first movie and starts by introducing Van Wilder (Jonathan Bennett) when he is in freshman year at Coolidge College. The college is run under the strict Dean Charles Reardon (Kurt Fuller) who is also a military guy. There is not much fun in the college, no parties, no kissing on campus and Van Wilder wants to liberate his college from sexual oppression and party dysfunction. He also meets a girl, Kaitlin Hays (Kristin Cavallari) who is very sexy, beautiful and she wants to be in the military! But he is head over heels in love with her, though she already has a boyfriend who is the dean's pet and training for the military. So, begins Van Wilder's journey into the as yet, unknown (for him) Coolidge College.
The first thing that hits you right in the face is Jonathan Bennett's immense effort to look and act like Ryan Reynolds (one of my favourite actors). Because, lets face it, he probably isn't that good an actor by himself. Also Kristin Cavallari is insanely sexy and hot. Instead of every other girl being naked, she should have been naked. It would have worked just fine for me. Kurt Fuller is a guy I have seen in so many movies and TV shows, but I never knew the guy's name. He is a pretty good actor, just doesn't work for this movie. But, I loved his portrayal of Zacharaiah in 'Supernatural'. The plot is the same as in many other college movies of this kind and the first Van Wilder movie also. I have no problem with that, but in that movie Van Wilder is actually a compassionate human being, rather than an all out party and sex animal. Here we have his two friends, one a pot-head Jamaican and the other is a Chinese named, Yu Dumb Fok (Ha ha! so funny, not). There is also his dog, Collosus's origin story here! There were some pretty hilarious moments though; the dildos beneath the bench at church was awesome, the dog sucking the Dean was funny too. Other than that, this was just another excuse to get girls naked and a cheap rip-off the Van Wilder franchise.
4/10
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.
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
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $20,543
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color