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National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:86
Fresh:16
Rotten:70
Average Rating:3.5/10
Consensus: A derivative gross-out comedy that's short on laughs.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong sexual content, gross humor, language and some drug content
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 5, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $4,208,429
Synopsis: Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds, ABC’s “Two Guys and a Girl”) might be starting his seventh year at Coolidge College, but graduation is the furthest thing from his mind. Armed with a personal assistant... Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds, ABC’s “Two Guys and a Girl”) might be starting his seventh year at Coolidge College, but graduation is the furthest thing from his mind. Armed with a personal assistant and a coterie of admirers, Van has reached the status of living legend on campus, throwing bashes that make geeks popular, raise money for charity and generally “inspire the uninspired.” But when Van’s father refuses to pay any more of his son’s tuition bills, Van must turn to party planning for profit in order to continue living in under-graduate bliss, thereby becoming the subject of an exposé by disapproving school journalist Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid, Josie and the Pussycats, American Pie). What begins as a clash of wills, however, soon leads to unexpected romance as Van and Gwen both realize they have a lot to learn from each other. The only problem: Gwen’s self-obsessed, frat house boyfriend, Richard, who’s determined, at any cost, to put a stop to Van’s rule as campus king. In the tradition of Ferris Beuller’s Day Off and Rushmore, Van Wilder: Party Liaison brings us an intrepid, visionary hero with the brains and the bravado to change school as we know it. Outrageous, irreverent and absolutely charming, this winning campus comedy is all about the burden of facing real life…and the freedom that comes from not taking it too seriously. -- © 2002 Artisan Entertainment [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson, Daniel Cosgrove
Director: Walt Becker
Director: Walt Becker
Screenwriter: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg
Producer: Peter Abrams, Andrew Panay
Composer: David Lawrence
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
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Reviews for National Lampoon's Van Wilder
Enthusiastically taking up the current teen movie concern with bodily functions, Walt Becker's film pushes all the demographically appropriate comic buttons.
Its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces... are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half. Still, it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental.
What more can be expected from a college comedy that's target audience hasn't graduated from junior high school?
An uneven mix of National Lampoon-style high jinks (yes, it feels slightly dated) and Farrelly-brothers touches tossed in for gross measure.
Uncouth, unfunny and sloppily edited, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder is a mediocre college sex comedy ...
An unabashedly bad movie full of cliches, claptrap, fairly good rock 'n' roll and stomach-turning gross-out gags.
While grosser is often better, Van Wilder devises some truly nasty images and then wallows in them to ludicrous extremes that drain out all the humor
An effervescent campus gross-out comedy that’s true to the amoral, anarchic spirit of Lampoon founder-editor and screenwriter Doug Kenney.
The most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters.
I went in not wanting to like it, not wanting to laugh, and certainly not to give it any credence for being this generation's "Animal House." But it is, and it's funny.
Latest News for National Lampoon's Van Wilder
March 08, 2007:
Yep, "Wild Hogs 2"
According to a pair of sources, director Walt Becker is all hot to get his "Wild Hogs" cast members back for a quick sequel. More...
November 30, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Nativity" Is Too Safe; "Turistas" Not Worth Trip
This week at the movies, we've got a new take on the first Noel ("The Nativity Story," starring Keisha Castle-Hughes), endangered Americans in Brazil... More...
November 30, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Nativity" Leads Trio of New Releases
The post-turkey blues will kick in as the North American box office should slump this weekend following a busy Thanksgiving holiday frame. More...
May 30, 2006:
TV Staple Paul Gleason Succumbs to Lung Cancer
Paul Gleason, who frequently played figures of authority in his four decades-long television and film career, died Saturday from a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos... More...
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