Review of Accepted

Accepted (2006)
1/10
One-sided Ignorance
18 August 2007
Synopsis: Kid is not accepted into any colleges. He creates a "college" where he and his friends can party by using their parent's tuition money.

Wow. A Paean to ignorance.

If you believe that we're all OK, man, then this movie is for you. Furthermore, you must understand that:

1. Kids have it all inside them--they just need to let it out.

2. Teaching really stifles the innate creativity that everyone is born with.

3. Someone else should pay for you to follow your passion.

4. 300 teenagers can live together in harmony, as long as you take away those restrictive rules.

5. Extemporaneous speeches are often much more convincing than a prepared presentation.

6. If the Board of Education allows you to open a "charter school" with "nontraditional teaching techniques," it's because they have your best interests at heart. (Not that they are willing to let go of low-functioning students who will end up working fast food anyways.)

This movie is one in the college comedy genre, i.e. Animal House. It follows the pattern pretty closely. What's new here though, is a complete attack on higher education, not a parody of the bad elements. It's missing the sympathetic insider, a professor who embodies the worthwhile part of university life.

This lack of balance will doom this film to the back rows of Blockbuster. It is so one sided, that I wondered if it was an ironic self-referential take on the whole genre--for about one minute. The movie has no deep meaning, no layers, no introspection. It's as if they let some kids who never went to class do what comes naturally. And what is natural is what the name of the school is: S***.

(Never thought I'd say this: Go see something with Will Farrell instead. His comedies can be surprisingly sophisticated.)
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