3 stars

I went in expecting that "Accepted" would flunk its PG-13 comedy course within minutes.

Was I ever surprised to discover that it's sometimes clever, and surprisingly gentle -- a formula to be sure, yes, but an enjoyable one all the same.

Justin Long ("Waiting") is high-school graduate Bartleby Gaines who just can't make the cut into any college.

His buddy Sherman (Jonah Hill, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") has made it to Harmon, the college of his choice. But he's such a good friend to Bartleby that Sherman creates a website that looks like the real thing. Online, the South Harmon Institute of Technology is born.

Bartleby whips up a fake acceptance letter and shows it to his parents. He knows he's just stalling, but still he figures it will buy him some time. Problem is, he's not alone. The website really works, and dozens of other hapless teen-agers (and a few who are older) have printed out the letter and really believe they've instantly been accepted to a non-existent college.

Now Bartleby and his friends, who are in on the scam, need to find a brick-and-mortar facility -- and fast. So they do indeed find a decrepit place to clean up and disguise as a college campus.

Bartleby's dad insists on a meeting with the dean, so Sherman's uncle (Lewis Black) fills in, spouting gibberish with which he manages to fool Bartleby's dad and mom.

In the meantime, the overweight, bespectacled Sherman is enduring endless humiliations from his fraternity brothers, who continually degrade him as publicly as possible. Sherman agrees to come to Bartleby's rescue once again when Bartleby realizes that, if he's going to pull this off, he'll need a curriculum, classrooms and dorm rooms. NOW.

It's true: You've probably seen this sort of movie before in "Animal House" and "Ferris Beuller's Day Off." But that's OK. There are enough innovations here, enough clever dialogue, and enough sometimes-off-the-wall humor that truly works to make this more than a copy.

Plus, there's something that's just plain endearing about Long, who pretty much played this character before in "Waiting." He has an earnest, likeable face and knows just what to do to milk sympathy from the audience at the right moment.

Hey, it's summer. How could I grade anything so good-natured and devil-may-care any less than three?

Rated: PG-13 for foul language and sexual talk and situations.

Director: Steve Pink.

Stars: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Adam Herschman and Maria Thayer.

Screenwriters: Bill Collage and Adam Cooper.

Running time: Ninety minutes.