Rating: 
Summary: Just Unmemorable
Review: You might think my two star rating is based on Tom Green's presence; no, before he appears on the screen, "Stealing Harvard" loses its energy to engage our attention, and the script (co-written by Peter Tolan, "Analyse This" and many others) is incredibly weak, killing any potentials that should have come from always charming Jason Lee.The story is too unbelievable, considering it is a comedy. Nice guy John (Jason Lee) is planning a wedding with his fiancee Elaine (whose father is not so nice Dennis Farina ... who does not lose any chances to tease his would-be son-in-law). But now, the couple have gained enough money to buy a house so that they can start a new life. John is very happy until the day he learns that his niece passed the entrance exam for Harvard, and reminds him of the old promise he made to her -- if she is going to university, HE will pay the money for her! How contrived it is ... but that is just the start of the film, and we haven't seen Tom Green yet. Because of this new trouble, John has to sacrifice his belief in honesty, or his engagement with Elaine. So, John asks a piece of advice from the most unlikely person you can imagine -- yes, Duff, played by Tom Green, who thinks of outrageous plans for raising the money of 30,000 dallars. And you see, his plans are all unusual. The problem is twofold; one is its too tame gags used here. Think of Tom Green, and you remember (if you saw it) the nightmare of "Freddy Got Fingered." But at least, the gags of that film were memorable in more than one meaning. Yes, they were ultimate bad tastes, like abusing many poor animals or flinging a baby, but that kind of things that would stick to your memory. In "Stealing" there are few instances of his craziness. It looks as if he is restraining himself, and everything in this film is simply unmemorable. The other problem is that the characters look very mean and nasty. Think about it, please; if you promised something like John did to his niece, would you really demand that the promise should be kept many years later? Do you when it's done long time ago and when you were just a kid? Or, would you really love somebody who insists on getting the money first before marriage, and always refuses any (decent) requests the guy is making to her? Or, first of all, even if you're in trouble, would you go to Tom Green? I know it's a comedy, but even mindless comedies need basic plot that might engage our attention. This one doesn't have any, and as a result goes nowhere, not getting the cult status of "Freddy".
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