Monday, April 14, 2008

Watchable At Any Time Series: Accepted

There are very few movies in this world that when you are flipping through the stations, or happen to come across it when searching your guide, that you have to stop and watch. I call these movies the "Watchable At Any Time" movies. The type of movies, that no matter where the movie is during its play, or even what time of the day you come across it - you absolutely have to watch it, no matter how many times you have seen it before.

The first movie in my series, and possibly the newest movie on this list is Accepted.

The cast of this movie includes:
  • Justin Long - Bartleby Gaines
  • Blake Lively - Monica
  • Adam Herschman - Glen
  • Maria Thayer - Rory
  • Columbus Short - Hands
  • Jonah Hill - Sherman Schrader
  • Lewis Black - Uncle Ben
It isn't just the main cast that makes this movie so much fun to watch, but also the tons of 'extras' or lesser cast members. Each one was given a special personality, and most are downright hilarious.

The basis of this story revolves around Bartleby Gaines, whose parents desperately want him to get into a good college. Gaines, however, has received rejection after rejection, until he has come to realize that he is not going to get into college. To please his parents, and all of the others who are constantly asking what his future plans are, Gaines decides to make-up his own college - sending an acceptance letter from the South Harmon Institute of Technology to himself, and Schrader helps him out by making a fully functional webpage for the college.

Gaines finds out that it's not only him that had not been accepted anywhere, but three of his friends as well - Rory, Hands and Glen - so he leases a building, fixes it up and proceeds on with his charade to fool his parents. Now, if you think this is ridiculous - please be advised that each person was given $10,000 for their first semester of college - so it is feasible.

When Gaines' parents decide to visit - and meet with the dean - Gaines enlists Schrader's Uncle Ben to pose as the dean. To further his even more growing lie, Schrader's webpage was not only functional for Gaines' father, but for anyone who happened to stumble across it. So, hundreds of kids who had not been accepted anywhere for college, show up at S.H.I.T. after being accepted - thanks to Schrader's "Acceptance is Just a Click Away", actually being functional.

The moral of this movie is to show just how far, and weird the college system has become. As Gaines tries to learn about his new college, he goes to nearby Harmon College, to see what college life is all about. What he finds are overly stressed students, a classroom that is being taught by a speaker and a student who wants to take an extra-curricular class that their adviser won't allow them to take. So he forms a "What Do You Want to Learn" board that everyone can sign up for classes on. And begins the students-teaching-students.

In all, this would never be able to happen in real life, but it's pretty interesting. Imagine a college where you can learn what you want to learn - and not be as stressed out about notes and tests. The whole situation is very funny, and the characters are hilarious. Very well done. And I can't stop watching it.

(I will be gone until Friday - hope you can get by without my weird blogs)

No comments:

Post a Comment