Rating: Summary: Disappointing even though, it had it's moments.. Review: I thought this movie was just average, not even. It was quite stupid, and I don't know why people are saying, "The best movie I've ever seen!" I thought this movie was horriable. I gave it 1.5 stars, rounding up to 2 stars.This movie was about Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) has been at Coolidge College for 7 years, never passing (or just leaving.) Van Wilder is a "party person" who always has a good time. Geeks and others look up to him, he is a very popular kid for others. He even has own assistant for himself. Van Wilder trys to help everyone though. He's the "nicer popular person." And Van Wilder meets this girl named Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid) who is doing an interview on Van. They fall in love, but their not going out. Van's dad finds out that Van has been in College for 7 years, so Van's Dad isn't paying for Van's college funds. Gwen teaches Van to do something with his life, and not stay in college for as long as he is. I thought this movie was getting way to off topic when Gwen came into this movie. It wasn't focusing on the main idea anymore, it was focusing on their relationship (which they really don't have), instead of him getting money and staying into college, like he really wants to do. Acting wise no one was special, none of the characters were the best, but if I had to pick someone it would be Tara Reid, followed up by Ryan Reynolds. No special apperances were really made except for Chris Owen. Over all I would give this movie 1.5 stars, which rounds up to 2 stars. This movie had some of it's moments, but really it wasn't hilarious. The begining was the best. The first like 20 minutes. Nothing was that great, the plot was stupid, I'd give it 2/5 stars. Acting I'd give 2/5. And extras, and other I'd give 1.5/5 stars. So I gave it 2 stars. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but if you're really bored, and there's nothing else to watch, watch it I guess.
Rating: Summary: That Poor Dog Review: I wish my college days were as interesting as Van Wilder's were. Since they weren't, I have to rely on this movie to remind me that some people have the ability to be quite extreme, even if it's just fiction. This movie walks the fine line between decent comedy and crude humor. Sometimes it lingers a little too long on the crude humor side, like an entire sequence involving a dog, some eclairs, and the Delta Iota Kappa Fraternity. Even though I've been told they used creamed honey, that scene still makes me gag. There are a few truely funny moments, like Taj's interview for Van Wilder's personal assistant, Sick Boy, the ice hockey challenge between Van and Gwen, and the running feud between McDougal's car and Wilder's golf cart. However, there are also equally disturbing moments like the eclair scene I mentioned, Richard's Northwestern interview, and Wilder's talk with the woman in charge of tuition payments. Overall this isn't a bad movie if you don't mind some crude humor. Despite being a comedy there's a secondary plot that involves Van and a serious desire to not grow up, which you watch develop through the movie. It's one of those park your brain and just enjoy kind of movies.
Rating: Summary: Comedy, Poetry, Hot Chick Review: I'll begin with a confession: I was reluctant to watch this film. It was snobbish on my part. A recent interview with Tara Reid in MAXIM portrayed the actress as a shallow ditz, and I doubted that the voluntary suspension of disbelief would succeed in allowing me to see her as serious college student Gwen Pearson. This was the crux of my objection to NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER. My husband cleverly defeated my opposition with the "Yes, but she's a really hot chick" argument, and we bought the DVD. To my surprise, Reid pulls off the act, dropping words like "pander" and phrases like "benevolent agenda" as if they had belonged in her personal vocabulary bank all along. The writing goes far beyond clever. It's down right poetic, with lines dance on the ear like a butterfly on a buttercup. Take, for example, "That's no bong! That's for my shlong!" Watch out Shakespeare. Best of all, the movie answers the age-old question: What was Ferris Bueller like in college? Van Wilder (Ryan Reynonds) fits the mold rather closely. He's a philanthropist who knows how to have a good time. He's funny, good looking, and popular with just about everyone. Brilliant ideas like topless tutors and the naked mile run are a-dime-a-dozen with this guy. Most importantly, he gets away with everything. I'm glad I didn't get away with turning my nose up at this delightfully amusing film. So even if you're skeptical, give it a try, and don't neglect to consider that Tara Reid's a really hot chick.
Rating: Summary: Should You Invest the Time to Watch It? Review: In short, yes. Ryan Reynolds, just below the popular Hollywood radar screen, makes this movie. It is worth viewing if only to see him and the witty, rhythmic script work in time. If you haven't gathered the shallow plot yet, Reynolds plays Van Wilder, a popular kid on campus that is taking too long to graduate. And he happens to be rich, which is really irrelevant to the plot. This aspect of the movie, sort of a rough version of Ferris Bueller, Part II, is the movie's most charming aspect and it delivers lots of laughs. Unfortunately, the movie fails on one major aspect by resorting to the trendy gross-out gags that will mark this movie as one of those "late 90's" gross-out comedies. Yes, the genre is past its prime. And what a shame, because there was so much there. There were some deep ranks in the cast that were barely used as well (Curts Armstrong, Tim Matheson, Paul Gleason, etc.). And too much screen time is given to Tara Reid as the love interest. Judging by the reviews here, one can only assume she is here for the box office draw. Certainly one should not listen to the other reviews praising her acting (awful) or, frankly, her looks. She always looks road-weary to me, from scene to scene her face changes dramatically - like she just returned from a two week bender to total stress. This wasn't filmed in Prague folks, it was filmed in UCLA - maybe a 20 minute drive for her. She should have been cast as an extra in the background of one of Wilder's wild parties. But as a reporter, it was a stretch. For instance, I was far more interested in her self-absorbed frat-boy boyfriend (played masterfully by Danial Cosgrove) than her. Cosgrove, by the way, takes the sex scene to the funniest level I have ever witnessed on film. The plot could have been thickened by making Van Wilder's love interest (Reid) an old flame that returns to campus to do her story. But the writers copped out and, that is alright because it is a comedy after all. Finally, the references to Animal House are absurd. I liked Animal House when it first came out - it was gound breaking. Even the Belushi urinating off the porch scene was considered "gross-out" at the time. But let's move on folks. This really is a funnier movie - far less sinsiter - and I grew up with the original SNL cast! Bottom line, I would advise renting just to see Reynolds, but don't watch it for the gags or Reid. You have seen it before.
Rating: Summary: Reynolds makes the movie Review: King of cool Ryan Reynolds totally makes this movie. I laughed myself off the couch. And, reviewer Matthew K. Minerd totally needs to get laid. Dude, relax! It's just a movie.
Rating: Summary: They sure crammed a lot of suck into this one. Review: Lack of funny does not mean funny, and this movie is a perfect example. It's called a comedy, but there aren't any jokes. I know that they tried to write jokes, but if they don't make people laugh, they aren't jokes. Here's the plot: the guy from Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, better known for his performance in Two Guys and a Girl, becomes a party planner to pay for college. Not Tupper Ware parties or Amway Meetings, but crazy wild college parties. And by "crazy wild" I mean not at all funny. There's this one actress in it and all she does is show her breasts. She's made an entire career out of showing her breasts. She was in that one movie with the breasts, the other one where you could see her boobs, and that third one in the locker room. Here she makes her best performance yet where she speaks while showing her breasts. Now that's multi-tasking! Catch her in her next role as the girl in the commercial for the upper-lip hair removal cream. In between the sex jokes and the other sex jokes, there's a love story. A love story that I don't care about and neither should you. This movie was terrible and I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I remember when National Lampoon's before a movie was a good thing, not any more.
Rating: Summary: Van Dumber Review: Let's put it this way: it takes a lot more than farting strippers and a dog with giant testicles to make me laugh. Should we have to watch another wannabe actor try to distinguish himself by doing what looks like a bad Jim Carey impression throughout the movie? What do you call toilet humor without the humor? Will Tara Reid ever act, or will she be stuck in an eye-candy phone booth forever? Is sex talk supposed to be funny just because it's coming out of the mouth of an ethnic guy with an accent? When a movie has nothing else going for it, is throwing in a pair of naked boobs really going to make much difference? These are but some of the questions "Van Wilder" poses. Here's a tip for the guys over at National Lampoon: Animal House = a funny movie about idiots Vacation = a very funny movie about an idiot Van Wilder = an unfunny movie starring, and made by, idiots Moral: Comedies are supposed to be funny.
Rating: Summary: An embarassing mess of a movie Review: Movies like Van Wilder are not usually my type of movie, but I happened to be in the States visiting a friend and she told me to watch this movie. Biggest mistake ever. THis movie is really dumb and the acting is horrible. The crude humour also got really tiresome after about 15 minutes. I'm just thankful that I didn't have my contacts in so most of the movie was a blur to me. Too bad that I couldn't fall asleep during it.
Rating: Summary: And you thought American Pie had a weird dessert theme... Review: National Lampoon brought the raunchy and raucous college world to the mainstream kids back in the 1970's with Animal House, which would go on to virtually springboard the careers of several of its stars, including John Belushi and Tim Matheson.
But for those of us who may have been born after the original release of AH and raised on films like the American Pie trilogy get a new version of Animal House for the new generation with Van Wilder.
Van (Ryan Reynolds) is the virtual definition of a slacker in the college world, having spent seven years attending Coolidge College. He is pretty much the life of the party and he revels in it greatly. It's only until his dad (Matheson) finds out that Van is still in school and places a halt to Van's tuition payment that he realizes that it's time to get his head in the game and find a way to graduate and pay tuition.
A story printed by the school's star reporter Gwen (Tara Reid) causes Van to become a party planner and raise the money for his tuition, along with the help of his closest friend (Teck Holmes of "Real World" fame) and his personal assistant (Kal Penn). When a relationship develops between Van and Gwen, Gwen's pretentious boyfriend Richard tries to put a wedge between them. When Van learns of this, he gets a little revenge in one of the most ingenious and disgusting ways ever devised (trust me, this has the humping a pie thing beaten hands down, no pun intended...)
Van Wilder is pretty hilarious in spots and somewhat disgusting in others, particularly the classic payback Van pulls on Richard and later on when Gwen also gets a little revenge on Richard when she learns a little something that Richard did behind Gwen's back. Also, Penn and Holmes have some gut-busting moments in support and is it nice to see Matheson deciding to continue his association with National Lampoon by bridging the gap between Animal House and Van Wilder.
A word of advice, though: if you have a weak stomach, this is not the movie for you. But if have that type of sense of humor that thinks that letting one rip loudly in public causes you to double over with laughter, then definitely check out Van Wilder.
Rating: Summary: "Animal House" gone "Wilder" Review: NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER is both a good movie and a hit, a semi-remake of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE brought into the millenium. It's funny, perverted, and gross. This is a man's movie. Ryan Reynolds stars as Van Wilder, a man who's been in college for six years and has no plans for getting out. He throws parties and fund raisers. He sets up guys and girls. He's the most popular guy on campus. Then he meets journalist Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid), who makes him realize that maybe he's just afraid of graduating. But soon, Wilder will have to make the big decision: graduate or drop-out! VAN WILDER is very funny. Most of the humor is sexual humor, including a very disgusting scene involving a dog and some cinnamon sticks. The Unrated Version is even worse! Reynolds is great, and Reid is good as well; there's a terrific soundtrack and the film is never boring. If you're looking for a good time and an outrageous Lampooner, you may have found it in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER.
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