284 reviews
Brainless, Makes 'American Pie' Looks Like an Art Movie
But Also Very Hilarious. I Do not Recall the Last Time I Laughed This Way
- claudio_carvalho
- Nov 29, 2004
- Permalink
National Lampoon's Van Wilder is an aggressively funny movie,unashamed by its bad taste.
What this movie has and other movies lack are characters you admire and care about. The movie never succumbs to sentimentality, thankfully, and it keeps a high level of cheerfulness and humor through the entire running time. This is a movie that wants to party and have fun, where characters are in high spirits and at times a little inebriated. This is the movie that will put the National Lampoon franchise back into respectability. Not only is this movie gut-bustingly funny if you can get past the crude visual puns like a pit-bull with what looks like a ten-pound scrotum attachment, and a crotch-enhancer pump that is mistaken for a bong this transcendent comedy of gross manners is most affecting because it's incredibly well-made. Most college campus comedies are cheap in production value and clumsily structured. Van Wilder is exceedingly well-paced and smartly written, by writers Brent Goldberg and David T. Wagner (their love for Ferris Bueller is apparent) who know how to set up not only a joke but sequences of offhand slapstick that are irrepressibly absurd. Director Walter Becker (creator of the ingenious short-film Saving Ryan's Privates) handles the irreverent and random acts of background physical comedy with ease and panache.
The campus wild man is fittingly known as Van Wilder (played by Ryan Reynolds). Van Wilder is a guy that has friends from everywhere, from the jocks to the nerds. Reynolds finds a precarious balance between recklessness and cheerful insanity, which is crucial because he turns acts of humanitarian philanthropy into casual and spontaneous gestures without giving second thought. No job is ever too big for the man, whether it is becoming the de-facto basketball coach that inspires the school's team to win or setting up a rockin' party for the geekiest fraternity on campus. Van Wilder has enthusiastic support from everyone but his burned-out workaholic father (played by Tim Matheson, once the wild man in National Lampoon's Animal House) who decides after seven years of his son's enrollment to stop tuition payment.
Van Wilder becomes the subject of a school newspaper editorial and Tara Reid plays the snobby, uptight reporter Gwen whose ties belong to frat boy Richard Bagg (Daniel Cosgrove), who conducts hazing rituals that are crueler than anything since Animal House. When Gwen tries to get the naked truth from Van Wilder, she mostly just finds Van Wilder naked. But it's the smart rapport that develops between them that allows Van Wilder to strip Gwen's inhibitions, to let her walk on the wild side. In the background, a turf war erupts between Van Wilder and Richard.
The plotting is shameless in its methods of revenge. There are innocent people involved in the mayhem, including a scene where pre-pubescent boys raid one of Van Wilder's parties and end up barfing out of a school bus (but hey, these young boys had the time of their life until then). Richard's fraternity brothers are sent a basket full of éclairs stuffed with juices from a particular dormitory pet. In a knock-off homage to Dumb and Dumber, a character digests a bottle of colon blow right before he is to take a final exam.
The movie rarely takes a breath. It does settle for easy chuckles but goes for the comic gold, pushing past the ribbon of where comedy usually wears out in exhaust. Not every joke works, but you admire the efforts that the filmmakers went to in order to make you laugh. A virgin's first encounter with a girl that culminates in a massage oil rubdown gets more than messy and squanders too much, thus not earning any laughs. A scene where Van Wilder has to charm a raggedy and prunish administrator gets frighteningly explicit and goes on maybe one shot too many. But Van Wilder is always the man of the moment. One of the dorky characters goes to Van Wilder to ask him how to `muff dive.' Ultimately, Van Wilder is king and his rebel-bent philosophy is trippingly funny. At the end, you won't be able to remember all the funny scenes because there are just too many of them.
The campus wild man is fittingly known as Van Wilder (played by Ryan Reynolds). Van Wilder is a guy that has friends from everywhere, from the jocks to the nerds. Reynolds finds a precarious balance between recklessness and cheerful insanity, which is crucial because he turns acts of humanitarian philanthropy into casual and spontaneous gestures without giving second thought. No job is ever too big for the man, whether it is becoming the de-facto basketball coach that inspires the school's team to win or setting up a rockin' party for the geekiest fraternity on campus. Van Wilder has enthusiastic support from everyone but his burned-out workaholic father (played by Tim Matheson, once the wild man in National Lampoon's Animal House) who decides after seven years of his son's enrollment to stop tuition payment.
Van Wilder becomes the subject of a school newspaper editorial and Tara Reid plays the snobby, uptight reporter Gwen whose ties belong to frat boy Richard Bagg (Daniel Cosgrove), who conducts hazing rituals that are crueler than anything since Animal House. When Gwen tries to get the naked truth from Van Wilder, she mostly just finds Van Wilder naked. But it's the smart rapport that develops between them that allows Van Wilder to strip Gwen's inhibitions, to let her walk on the wild side. In the background, a turf war erupts between Van Wilder and Richard.
The plotting is shameless in its methods of revenge. There are innocent people involved in the mayhem, including a scene where pre-pubescent boys raid one of Van Wilder's parties and end up barfing out of a school bus (but hey, these young boys had the time of their life until then). Richard's fraternity brothers are sent a basket full of éclairs stuffed with juices from a particular dormitory pet. In a knock-off homage to Dumb and Dumber, a character digests a bottle of colon blow right before he is to take a final exam.
The movie rarely takes a breath. It does settle for easy chuckles but goes for the comic gold, pushing past the ribbon of where comedy usually wears out in exhaust. Not every joke works, but you admire the efforts that the filmmakers went to in order to make you laugh. A virgin's first encounter with a girl that culminates in a massage oil rubdown gets more than messy and squanders too much, thus not earning any laughs. A scene where Van Wilder has to charm a raggedy and prunish administrator gets frighteningly explicit and goes on maybe one shot too many. But Van Wilder is always the man of the moment. One of the dorky characters goes to Van Wilder to ask him how to `muff dive.' Ultimately, Van Wilder is king and his rebel-bent philosophy is trippingly funny. At the end, you won't be able to remember all the funny scenes because there are just too many of them.
- chrisbrown6453
- Jun 23, 2002
- Permalink
A definite good time!
Van Wilder is hilarious! It has it's predictable moments, for example the part where the protagonist questions his being and the ending, but it's also unpredictable...and pretty disgusting. My laughter carried on from one scene to the next and it continued to the end of the film.
Ryan Renolds is great as Van. He has good timing as a comedian but also has a "sensitive and caring" side. He truly carries this entire film singlehandedly. (Personally, I thought Tara Reid lacked.) I hope I'll see more of him in films to come, he's an enjoyable actor.
Not a blockbuster movie, but very worth your time.
Ryan Renolds is great as Van. He has good timing as a comedian but also has a "sensitive and caring" side. He truly carries this entire film singlehandedly. (Personally, I thought Tara Reid lacked.) I hope I'll see more of him in films to come, he's an enjoyable actor.
Not a blockbuster movie, but very worth your time.
- JanetDenise
- Apr 8, 2002
- Permalink
I will never eat a creamstick again!
I am not a fan of gross out humor, but there was something about this movie that cracked me up. I absolutely LOVE Ryan Reynolds. I think he is a gifted comedian, and this was a great forum for him to get himself "out there."
I thought the dog jokes were extremely gross, especially the eclair scene, and I will NEVER be able to eat another one again! (Also, custard now makes me gag. :))
I enjoyed Taj, and thought the actor did a great job with that role. I imagine it was difficult to do with a straight face.
The one thing I did not like about the movie was TARA REID. How in God's green earth did this girl EVER get into movies. The ONLY thing I have ever liked her in was "Scrubs", and I think it's because she seems truer to that character.
The outtakes at the end are good, so don't turn it off too soon.
I thought the dog jokes were extremely gross, especially the eclair scene, and I will NEVER be able to eat another one again! (Also, custard now makes me gag. :))
I enjoyed Taj, and thought the actor did a great job with that role. I imagine it was difficult to do with a straight face.
The one thing I did not like about the movie was TARA REID. How in God's green earth did this girl EVER get into movies. The ONLY thing I have ever liked her in was "Scrubs", and I think it's because she seems truer to that character.
The outtakes at the end are good, so don't turn it off too soon.
- BuffySoprano
- Aug 1, 2004
- Permalink
Fun and entertaining - just remember to disengage your brain
I generally hate these teen sex comedies and I approached "Van Wilder" with hesitation, but I actually found it to be quite entertaining and humorous (if you're in the right mood, I suppose).
Ryan Reynolds (doing a great Chevy Chase impersonation) is a guy in his late 20s who has been at college for eight years and still doesn't have a graduation in sight. His father, a rich politician (played by Tim Matheson), finally decides to cut off his son's money and as a result, Van has to think of a way to come up with enough cash to stay in school.
Pretty soon Van becomes a party planner and uses his knowledge on partying to throw great ones for nerds. He makes money off of it and his business soon becomes quite lucrative.
If you like National Lampoon humor, you may like this. If you don't, you probably won't. I gave up on National Lampoon a long time ago but this is one of their better efforts in recent years. Don't get me wrong, it's not a great movie; but I found Reynolds (who seems to pick up a lot of flak) to be quite funny and Matheson and other ex-Lampoon star cameos were amusing.
Recommended for those who can enjoy stupid humor. If you liked "Dumb and Dumber," you'll probably enjoy this.
Ryan Reynolds (doing a great Chevy Chase impersonation) is a guy in his late 20s who has been at college for eight years and still doesn't have a graduation in sight. His father, a rich politician (played by Tim Matheson), finally decides to cut off his son's money and as a result, Van has to think of a way to come up with enough cash to stay in school.
Pretty soon Van becomes a party planner and uses his knowledge on partying to throw great ones for nerds. He makes money off of it and his business soon becomes quite lucrative.
If you like National Lampoon humor, you may like this. If you don't, you probably won't. I gave up on National Lampoon a long time ago but this is one of their better efforts in recent years. Don't get me wrong, it's not a great movie; but I found Reynolds (who seems to pick up a lot of flak) to be quite funny and Matheson and other ex-Lampoon star cameos were amusing.
Recommended for those who can enjoy stupid humor. If you liked "Dumb and Dumber," you'll probably enjoy this.
- MovieAddict2016
- Nov 29, 2005
- Permalink
hilarious antics
This was a very fun movie that had some laugh out loud moments but also some real heart. Ryan renyolds was a great choice to play van and I always enjoy the way he acts in films. Kal penn and tara reid were equally as great. It had me laughing all the way through and if you love national lampoon and ryan renoylds your sure to love this movie. There are a few gross pieces there and there and adult comedy that ties everything together. Overall just a great comedy movie.
- LetsReviewThat26
- May 29, 2022
- Permalink
Fun!
'Van Wilder' isn't meant to be taken too seriously. Its a lively comedy, that delivers good enough laughs to earn itself a viewing.
'Van Wilder' Synopsis: The most popular kid on campus meets a beautiful journalist who makes him realize that maybe he's afraid to graduate.
'Van Wilder' has some hilarious moments. The First-Hour is simply terrific, the Second-Hour gets clichéd, but never boring. Brent Goldberg & David T. Wagner's Screenplay is uncomplicated & delivers some truly funny moments. Walt Becker's Direction is perfect.
Performance-Wise: Ryan Reynolds is superb as Van Wilder. He plays the bratty protagonist to the fullest. Tara Reid is extremely charming. Kal Penn brings the house down with his flawless comic timing. Daniel Cosgrove delivers sincerely. Tim Matheson is first-rate.
On the whole, 'Van Wilder' offers some really good laughs.
'Van Wilder' Synopsis: The most popular kid on campus meets a beautiful journalist who makes him realize that maybe he's afraid to graduate.
'Van Wilder' has some hilarious moments. The First-Hour is simply terrific, the Second-Hour gets clichéd, but never boring. Brent Goldberg & David T. Wagner's Screenplay is uncomplicated & delivers some truly funny moments. Walt Becker's Direction is perfect.
Performance-Wise: Ryan Reynolds is superb as Van Wilder. He plays the bratty protagonist to the fullest. Tara Reid is extremely charming. Kal Penn brings the house down with his flawless comic timing. Daniel Cosgrove delivers sincerely. Tim Matheson is first-rate.
On the whole, 'Van Wilder' offers some really good laughs.
I can't believe I sat through this - spoilers
A big surprize
i didn't expect much coming into this movie, i didn't hear much about it and Van wilder was one of the national lampoon movies without Chevy Chase. however this movie surpassed all my expectations. Van Wilder defines the slapstick teen comedy of the new millennium. loaded with sexual humor and innuendo, Van Wilder keep the laughs coming. i believe Tara Reid was at her hottest in this movie, and believe it or not, there are a ton of quotable lines to live by in this film. as for the plot, its just about some guy who doesn't wanna leave the college he calls his home until he meets a girl that makes him realize his own potential. this film was much better then the last 2 American pies put together. this is a true popcorn movie to watch with your friends.
- Leafsman_69
- Sep 17, 2004
- Permalink
Funny and Heartfelt
Most collage movies are over the top dumb, filled with one constant goal, sex, but this movie isn't like most collage comedies. Yes it has sex, drugs and parties, but it's full of fun humor and heartfelt moments. Ryan Reynolds brings his full charm to the camera as his character tries to figure out life and romance in this charming collage comedy.
- AngelHonesty
- Feb 2, 2020
- Permalink
Pretty much what you'd expect.
I've heard so much about this movie throughout the years I knew I would have to give it a go someday, and that day was today. Watching this 21 years later, it's exactly what I expected a teen comedy from the early 2000s featuring a young Ryan Reynolds to be. It's not really original, utterly predictable, mostly vulgar with a few actual good jokes sprinkled throughout the tasteless ones. It really is a product of its time though and I have a feeling I would have found it a lot funnier if I had seen it back then. And if so the nostalgia that would come with a re-watch might make it more enjoyable.
One hilarious movie
This was one heck of an hilarious movie. I can watch it over and over. Reynolds did a spectacular job in the movie, but I must say that without the character Taj the movie wouldn't have been as funny.
This is more of a guy comedy type movie but my gf loved it also.
The donuts scene I must say was a little gross but still the movie was amazing. Laughed from start to finish..... This is the kind of guy everyone would like to be or know in College.
I don't think they could of taken anyone else then Reynolds to do this role maybe I m just saying that because he is one of my favorite actors but he did do a great job. 9/10
This is more of a guy comedy type movie but my gf loved it also.
The donuts scene I must say was a little gross but still the movie was amazing. Laughed from start to finish..... This is the kind of guy everyone would like to be or know in College.
I don't think they could of taken anyone else then Reynolds to do this role maybe I m just saying that because he is one of my favorite actors but he did do a great job. 9/10
- kidhasaces
- Feb 27, 2004
- Permalink
Van Wilder, a film so annoying and over the top at times that I can't help but admire it.
Worst movie of the century!
This is without a doubt, the worst movie I have ever seen. The main character, chosen no doubt for his uncanny resemblance to a young Chevy Chase, is funny but the plot simply does not exist.
The gags (when they're there) are trite, hackneyed, and old as rock. This movie will even die in videoland.
In my 47 years of life, I have seen a lot of movies. I have walked out on better movies than this. I did leave 10 minutes before the end because after I visited the bathroom I just wanted to get back into my car and go home.
Not a good movie!
The gags (when they're there) are trite, hackneyed, and old as rock. This movie will even die in videoland.
In my 47 years of life, I have seen a lot of movies. I have walked out on better movies than this. I did leave 10 minutes before the end because after I visited the bathroom I just wanted to get back into my car and go home.
Not a good movie!
I don't know why but I still liked it
My girlfriend borrowed this one - I usually go for the action/horror/sci-fi stuff. So I prepared myself for one of those terribly boring college comedies with poorly developed characters, boring jokes, no story, and at least some pretty college kids. Which was exactly what I got. Still, for some reason I found this film rather entertaining. Maybe because of the message it delivers - gives you a good excuse to be more like Van Wilder and less like that guy from the DIK fraternity.
Just alright.
Van Wilder was just alright. I expected quite a bit more from National Lampoon but considering the other comedies that have come out this year, Van Wilder is easily among the best. It was consistently amusing throughout the movie with two of the most hilarious scenes I have ever watched in my life. I recommend you see Van Wilder if you just need to have a good laugh and you have an extremely sick sense of humor.
Good College Comedy
My university had an advanced screening of Van Wilder a couple of weeks ago, and I must say that I found it to be up there with the likes of American Pie and Animal House when it comes to gross out, college humor.
Van is a college student who has spent seven years at his school. Upon learning this, Van's father (portrayed by Lampoon alum Tim Matheson) decides to stop paying his tuition, which leads Van to find other ways of earning tuition money.
Tara Reid plays a reporter for his college's newspaper, and with Van being a BMOC, she is assigned to get Van's story for the graduation edition. Van, however, spends most of their time together trying to get a date, much to the dismay of her boyfriend, Richard (played by Daniel Cosgrove), a pre-med student applying to Northwestern.
The most humorous performance, however, goes to Van's assistant Taj (played by Kal Penn). Taj is an international student who volunteers his time to Van in order to learn how to better pick up women.
This is a very typical college humor movie, along the lines of American Pie and Animal House. The gross-out gags were laugh out loud funny, and the movie moved along at a good pace. If you're in the mood for a very good, juvenile comedy, I'd definitely recommend seeing Van Wilder.
7 out of 10 *'s.
Van is a college student who has spent seven years at his school. Upon learning this, Van's father (portrayed by Lampoon alum Tim Matheson) decides to stop paying his tuition, which leads Van to find other ways of earning tuition money.
Tara Reid plays a reporter for his college's newspaper, and with Van being a BMOC, she is assigned to get Van's story for the graduation edition. Van, however, spends most of their time together trying to get a date, much to the dismay of her boyfriend, Richard (played by Daniel Cosgrove), a pre-med student applying to Northwestern.
The most humorous performance, however, goes to Van's assistant Taj (played by Kal Penn). Taj is an international student who volunteers his time to Van in order to learn how to better pick up women.
This is a very typical college humor movie, along the lines of American Pie and Animal House. The gross-out gags were laugh out loud funny, and the movie moved along at a good pace. If you're in the mood for a very good, juvenile comedy, I'd definitely recommend seeing Van Wilder.
7 out of 10 *'s.
- osubluejacket
- Mar 29, 2002
- Permalink
Today's comfort - it doesn't get any worse than this.
I tried to watch this, but had give up after 10 minutes. It was very irritating watching this movie about a spoiled man/boy, who really needed to get some suicide-help. That would be the best thing for him. You have seen it all before, but much better performed - it's like they were aiming at a college-film that contains EVERY possible cliche available. Save your time, money and mind - let it be left alone in the store!
- monradconrad
- Feb 2, 2003
- Permalink
Hilariously funny!
This movie is hilariously funny! I've seen it more than 4 times and it gets funnier every time! Ryan Reynolds is hilarious as Van Wilder, the lead role. Being that this is a National Lampoon movie, one would expect it to be funny. It definitely lives up to expectations of the previous National Lampoon movies. The script is ingenious and is extremely well-written. Many parts of the movie are unexpected, which makes it all the more enjoyable. This movie is so much fun to watch over and over again. The part with the dog and the "eclairs" is hilarious in itself. Although this is one of Reynolds' first movies, it is a big hit. Surely, we can look for more hilarious movies like this one in the future.
A good movie in it's own right, but not typical National Lampoon material.
As the movie started, I was trying to compare it to Animal House. Many of the basics are very similar, and the previews even encourage this analogy. As the movie progressed, however, I realized that American Pie is a much more apt comparison. The movie was a good, solid film, with lots of humorous parts. But when compared on a comedic level to Animal House or Christmas Vacation, it falls well short. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious, and definitely turns a pretty week story line into an entertaining movie. I really did like the movie, it just was not up to the National Lampoon films of past.
- lesimparfaits
- Apr 6, 2002
- Permalink
Terrible from start to finish
One of the worst movies I have ever seen, and I have seen many many movies. Very predictable plot with no originality. The plot points seem to come straight from the mind of an uneducated 15 year old with no inkling of comedic dialog or situations. Although the lead actor was supposed to appear as a hero to his fellow students, he never supported that in anyway with his behavior on the screen. I guess we are just supposed to assume that he is 'all that'. I felt sorry for the actors having to say these ridiculous lines. Maybe the young teenage crowd would find this entertaining for the crude humor and flowery language, but anyone over the age of 17 should pass on this one.
Terribly Tasteless but Hilariously Funny
This movie is exactly what you expect from the genre: mindless fluff with adolescent jokes, nudity, and lots of gross-out stuff. It is, however, unapologetic about it, and invests a lot to carry things to the extreme, which is what gives it its charm. If you cannot take any of the above and find enjoyment in them, don't waste your time with Van Wilder.
If, on the other hand, you like vomit-inducing pranks, beautiful young girls flashing their boobies, and hilarious one-liners galore peppered by a huge dose of stereotypes (but without hatred), you will have one of the most entertaining 2 hours of your life. Every time it plays on TV I find myself watching it again and again. The two leading male actors, Ryan Reynolds and Kal Penn, are exceptional as usual, and Tara Reid, while she offers her customary wooden non-performance, fills out her role enough not to be painful. A surprise find is the actor playing Tara's boyfriend: he plays so well, you will LOVE to hate him.
All I can say is, with college for 20 years behind me, I wish I had a Van Wilder when I was attending school. And the movie even has a message!
If, on the other hand, you like vomit-inducing pranks, beautiful young girls flashing their boobies, and hilarious one-liners galore peppered by a huge dose of stereotypes (but without hatred), you will have one of the most entertaining 2 hours of your life. Every time it plays on TV I find myself watching it again and again. The two leading male actors, Ryan Reynolds and Kal Penn, are exceptional as usual, and Tara Reid, while she offers her customary wooden non-performance, fills out her role enough not to be painful. A surprise find is the actor playing Tara's boyfriend: he plays so well, you will LOVE to hate him.
All I can say is, with college for 20 years behind me, I wish I had a Van Wilder when I was attending school. And the movie even has a message!
Don't expect too much
This is yet another movie trying to capitalize off the gross-out factor among young adolescent males. The only thing that really surprised me about this movie is Ryan Renolds ability to carry a movie by himself, as Tara Reid has proven herself once again to be a terrible actress. There is maybe one or two really funny parts in this movie, the rest just comes off as immature sexual jokes. Overall, the good parts don't outweigh the bad, and I wouldn't give it more than three or four stars. Wait for it to come out on rental, which shouldn't be too long.
- Filmfan-31
- Apr 6, 2002
- Permalink
A contender that should entertain American Pie lovers
College student and party enthusiast Van Wilder (Reynolds) is put in his place by an unavailable up and coming reporter (Reid) There have been many attempts at conveying the real life portrayal of school life in cinema over the last 10 years. From the largely successful crude American Pie to the down right tough nut drama Kidulthood there are many versions of how college life is seen. To generalise, most American films centre on the comedy genre when tackling these stories whilst British cinema aims to portray realism, and at the end of the day everything is exaggerated, but is marvellously funny and entertaining nonetheless, and the same goes for this almost American Pie riff.
Ryan Reynolds is the main reason to watch as with all his previous roles he brings that contained side of cheekiness to his character and executes his comic timing to perfection with some well spoken phrases and equally amusing physical attributes. Though his comedy isn't on the brilliance of Just friends, he generates a feeling of coolness and gets the laughs that this genre always needs.
As these are films about aging students, there are always repetitive ideologies encoded for the preferred reading. So we have sex, parties, losing virginity and "complicated" relationships. If you thought American Pie was crude, wait till this hits your screen. There is one particular moment that is irrevocable. Lets just say a dog and a spatula get a less than pleasant introduction, not to mention Wilder's sacrifice to get a form to carry on learning. It is definitely crude with that sense of physical comedy that we teens apparently love so much.
As there is plenty of comedy there is still enough room to match the cheesy conventional plot that follows the rule book practically word for word. Well, to be fair the plot is springy because of the comedy input, but once more in this genre does a guy have to like the one girl he can't have and it's only going to end up one way. If this was tweaked a bit to add some surprise and energy we may have had a different feeling come the credits and feeling rewarded for the film's diversity, but once more we pay money to see the same concept repeated except with some fresh faces.
Apart from the weighing down involvement of the conventional romance ideology, this is a very enjoyable picture. The characters, all pretty much stereotypes, bring their own spice to the plot, especially the teacher and Wilder's assistant Taj. We have the geeks, the jocks, the scientists, the swingers and so forth. All familiar and therefore its easy to transfer into entertainment. There is no silly character development and we are left with simply the person on screen with their own agenda.
Van Wilder is a simple crude story wrapped with a wonderful central performance by Reynolds. Where this 2001 picture won't give fans the same satisfaction and buoyancy as American Pie or Euro trip, there is enough crude comedy to reward the target youthful audience for their money.
Ryan Reynolds is the main reason to watch as with all his previous roles he brings that contained side of cheekiness to his character and executes his comic timing to perfection with some well spoken phrases and equally amusing physical attributes. Though his comedy isn't on the brilliance of Just friends, he generates a feeling of coolness and gets the laughs that this genre always needs.
As these are films about aging students, there are always repetitive ideologies encoded for the preferred reading. So we have sex, parties, losing virginity and "complicated" relationships. If you thought American Pie was crude, wait till this hits your screen. There is one particular moment that is irrevocable. Lets just say a dog and a spatula get a less than pleasant introduction, not to mention Wilder's sacrifice to get a form to carry on learning. It is definitely crude with that sense of physical comedy that we teens apparently love so much.
As there is plenty of comedy there is still enough room to match the cheesy conventional plot that follows the rule book practically word for word. Well, to be fair the plot is springy because of the comedy input, but once more in this genre does a guy have to like the one girl he can't have and it's only going to end up one way. If this was tweaked a bit to add some surprise and energy we may have had a different feeling come the credits and feeling rewarded for the film's diversity, but once more we pay money to see the same concept repeated except with some fresh faces.
Apart from the weighing down involvement of the conventional romance ideology, this is a very enjoyable picture. The characters, all pretty much stereotypes, bring their own spice to the plot, especially the teacher and Wilder's assistant Taj. We have the geeks, the jocks, the scientists, the swingers and so forth. All familiar and therefore its easy to transfer into entertainment. There is no silly character development and we are left with simply the person on screen with their own agenda.
Van Wilder is a simple crude story wrapped with a wonderful central performance by Reynolds. Where this 2001 picture won't give fans the same satisfaction and buoyancy as American Pie or Euro trip, there is enough crude comedy to reward the target youthful audience for their money.
- Stampsfightclub
- Jul 10, 2009
- Permalink
has it moments
I will say this about National Lampoon's films of late---they are getting funnier--AND maybe someday, the movies they crank out now will be as good as the earlier ones they released. The movie Van Wilder is OKAY, but I'm sure they could have done a bit better in churning up the laughs--everything is too heavily relied on gross humour. The acting needed to be more memorable too. Tara Reid--although looking great--had little acting range--she just seemed to go through the motions of the film. Her character and Ryan Reynolds character had no real chemistry between them and the that made Kal Penn's character steal the majority of the film. Granted we shouldn't laugh at our fellow foreign exchange students, but we also shouldn't be made to pay over $5 for a mediocre film also. If anyone is thinking of purchasing this film---my suggestion is to rent it first. This movie is a "I'm willing to waste a couple of hours of my day" movie.
- williamsmckinley1
- Sep 10, 2002
- Permalink