The movie turned out to be an interesting look at the state of our county's education system, disguised as a high concept comedy, and targeted at the recent high school graduates preparing to enter the system of higher education. They couldn't have picked a better release if they tried. Now, how successful it will be at actually delivering on its message has yet to be seen.
What starts out as an clever, yet highly unbelievable, ploy to garner parental unit approval, turns into a force of nature that aims to bring out the hidden abilities in everyone. The conflict is set up between the structure of the current system, classes, fraternities, boring lectures, hazing, and everything that goes with it, versus the free thinking, those who listen to what you say and act upon that. Old school taking on new school, if you will.
Long plays Bartleby "B" Gaines, who just can't seem to catch a break. He is an outsider at school and rejected by all of the colleges he has applied to. There is one he happens to be good at, and that is spinning a credible web of BS at a moments notice. He takes these skills, and those of his outsider friends to create a fake school to fool their parents. Unfortunately, one of those friends is too good at his job and actually makes the school's website functional. That leads to a great influx of new students. Problems only get greater when they draw the attention, and the ire, of the local "real" school.
The actual conflict is there, but it is not really the point, it is the window dressing. It, along with the other clichés of the teen comedy, things like the underdog getting the girl and the heavyset loser best friend, all of them help to provide the surface comedy upon which the more serious thoughts are mixed.
It is always a pleasant surprise to have a movie come out of left field and actually have some ideas buried underneath a more mundane surface. Much like the excellent The Devil Wears Prada, a movie that disguised a subversive "drink the Kool Aid" story buried underneath a more traditional "ugly duckling" story.
Steve Pink steps away from the word processor and behind the camera for the first time, working from a screenplay written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Mark Perez. They all came together to make a pretty good movie, a movie that is actually worth the trip to see. A movie that gives you the warm and fuzzies in its underdog type story, as well as pointing out issues of the higher education system.
Bottomline. Surprisingly good. Fun story, with some laugh out loud moments. Long pretty much has a lock on these underdog type characters, doing another good job here. The low expectations worked in my favor, allowing me to be surprised, in a good way.
Recommended.
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