Accepted
What a "teen film" showing up in my movies with something to say column? The madness! I actually liked this teen film, it had an innovative plot and about 5 or 6 decent laughs. So that is enough for me to give my thumbs up. I wasn't expecting much when I tuned into this 2006 comedy, so sometimes when you have very low expectations it makes it easier to be pleasantly surprised.
Justin Long plays Bartleby Gaines, a guy who can't get into any colleges and comes up with an unlikely plan as to not disappoint his fanatical parents.
Gaines fakes a college by having his geeky friend Sherman (played by Jonah Hill) build a phony website for S.H.I.T- South Harmon College of Technology. This school name, by the way, is a funny joke they manage to effectively milk throughout the whole film. When Bartleby's father gives him a check for tuition, but demands to drop him off the first day and take a look around, the plan escalates and Bartelby and his friends are forced to rehab an abandoned mental institution to look like a school. As time goes on "S.H.I.T" actually starts to turn into a school as many students who didn't get accepted into any colleges easily get into this school. The school gradually becomes a place students love because they can design their own curriculum and pursue their true interests.
The movie has a nice message about following your own path and cultivating individuality. Also it is kind of a silly teen take on the Field of Dreamsy, spiritual "if you build it, they will come" premise. Maybe I am going out on a limb here, but that is what I took away from Accepted. Stop laughing at me now.
Well I think I have given away enough plot here, but do you see what I am getting at? This is just a very clever plot and the film, on a whole, is well-executed. I found myself thinking this premise could have easily been a television show. Its actually difficult to believe, but the co-writers on this film Adam Cooper and Bill Collage also wrote the horrifying disaster that was called "New York Minute" starring the Olsen twins. But just try to ignore that fact, and check out Accepted if you want a very lighthearted movie with a good message.
Grading
Story: A-
Acting: B
Visuals: C
Originality/Innovation: A-
Enjoyability: B
Overall: B+
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