We have a winner!
Having had a shitty day, a shitty week, a shitty month, and by God, a shitty year, I needed a laugh. I got what I needed with National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, a really, really funny movie that had me laughing out loud and forgetting life from beginning to end. After the funny, but over-all so-so SLACKERS and SORORITY BOYS, Wilder definitely takes it’s place atop the list of recent “crazy” college flicks.
Van Wilder stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role of a college student firmly embedded in his seventh year of a four year school. This comes from National Lampoon, who really only had two good movies, Animal House and the first Vacation. This movie doesn’t really rank with those in terms of being a classic, but I think it could be significant in the long run. Why?
Well, because this could be Ryan Reynolds’ ticket to fame. He’s really great here, showing wit and heart, but mostly wit. I’ve heard comparisons between him and Chevy Chase, but I think he’s more high brow than Chase ever was. I first saw Reynolds on TV’s Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place, and he was always the best part of the show. He has great timing and facial expressions, but not over the top like Chase or say, Jim Carrey. Great, great job.
Tara Reid is in this, and damn it, I just don’t like her. Hell, I’m probably the only guy on the planet that doesn’t like her, well, except for maybe Carson Daly? Anyway, no, I don’t like her, but, sigh, I guess she did a good job here, and yes, she looked great too. Well, her face did anyway. She’s almost Barbie perfect, that one. But Jesus Christ, would it hurt her to eat a freaking sandwich?
But yeah, she did a good job.
There are two smaller roles here that were very well done by Kal Penn as Van Wilder’s enthusiastic assistant, and Daniel Cosgrove as a severely anal Pre-Med student. They were perfect, if not terribly cliched and stereotypical, but so what, this is comedy man. It’s best when over the top and in your face, right?
The Rated R movie is back in full force! Gotta love it.
Actually, all things considered Van Wilder is not as "Rated R" as it could have been, but just the same, for a raunchy good time, and a surprising amount of heart, I definitely recommend it!