Orange County
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Movie Reviews of Orange County
Movie Review: A teen comedy which will actually make you LAUGH!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Orange County" has a star-studded cast esemble, a great script, and a comical story.PLOT SUMMARY: In "Orange County", Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks--yes, TOM HANKS'S son), has an easy life in Orange County, California. Shaun spends most of his days surfing with his three best buds who enjoy getting wasted and catching the highest waves possible. When one of his friends suddenly dies while surfing in a freak storm, Shaun realizes that life is short...especially after he finds a book in the beach sand, written by the famous Stanford University professor, Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline). This leads Shaun into wanting to become a writer, and wanting to attend Stanford University, so he could take one of Skinner's classes. However, the only problem is that Shaun's dysfunctional family doesn't want him to go to Stanford. His mom, Cindy Beugler (Catherine O'Hera), who got remarried to an old man, Bob Beugler (George Murdock), wants him to go to a college that's closer to home. His filthy rich dad, Bud Brumder (John Lithgow), who got remarried to a very unfaithful younger woman, claims Shaun doesn't need to become a writer and that being an author doesn't "get you rich". So this leaves Shaun to take matters into his own hands. Shaun applies to Stanford, anyway. When his school councelor sends the wrong transcript and application to Stanford, Shaun gets rejected. Shaun can't accept this, so when his wasted older brother, Lance Brumder (Jack Black), suggests they take a road trip to the school to try to prove to the school that he is Stanford material, Shaun takes this suggestion seriously. So Lance ends up driving Shaun and Shaun's girlfriend, Ashley (Schuyler Fisk), on a hilarious road trip to Stanford, so that Shaun can hopefully get accepted into the school...and Shaun will do whatever it takes, unkowningly that his family and friends want him to stay home, because they care about him.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I thought "Orange County" was extremely hilarious, original, and clever. It has got a fantastic script and some excellent performances by the entire cast. Colin Hanks is convincing and appealing in his role...he definitely looks like a younger version of Tom. But Jack Black steals the show. The film is fast-paced, and just plain funny. The DVD is nicely packaged, with some deleted scenes, commentaries, and more.
I highly recommend "Orange County".
Score:
98/100
A+
Movie Review: A Great Teen Movie!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Most of today's teen flicks are made up of the same elements. They are full of cheerleaders, teen lust, and parties. "Orange County" is wonderfully original and redefines the teenage movie genre. The film is full of great jokes and an inventive plot that will leave you in awe of the originality of this movie. This is one of the few comedies that can be viewed of people of all ages due to no foul language and no sex, unless you consider rolling around and kissing sex. Shawn is an Orange County teenager that used to live for surfing. When he was at the beach one day he stumbled upon a book that would change his life. The book that he read made him decide to give up surfing and made him start writing. Flash forward a year or so later and it's time for Shawn to apply for college. Shawn's dream school is the prestigious Stanford University. He applies to only that school because the college counselor (who has no clue what she's doing) says that he'll definitely get in. Shawn doesn't get in and thus starts his adventure to get in. From a meeting with a mony donor to the school all the way to a trip to Stanford, this is one film that will be enjoyed immensely. Will Shawn get into the school? Watch this film and find out!
The best thing about the film is without a doubt that characters and the actors who play them. Award winning actor Tom Hanks' son Colin plays the lead character of Shawn. Colin puts on a truly fantastic performance. His talent will make you wish that other teen actors were as good as him. The girl that plays Shawn's girlfriend in the film is great as well. Jack Black plays Shawn's brother, and to be honest, this movie would have been nowhere as good as it was without him. Shawn's parents are truly fantastic as well as you can see how money affects their lives in a bad way.
This film is a lesson on many things. Shawn's quest to be a writer shows how that wherever you are and in whatever atmosphere you are in that you can achieve what you want with hard work. As said above, the film shows how money does not buy happiness and can contribute to a melancholy life.
"Orange County" is a movie that shows how all teen movies should be. It is a wonderful comedy that teaches various lessons while entertaining. Anybody that is looking for a refreshing and original film in the comedy genre need not look anywhere but here.
Happy Viewing!
Movie Review: "Orange County" a Fantastic Film That Transcends Its Genre
Summary: 5 Stars
The thoughts I had going into "Orange County" were most likely the same thoughts many people might have about this film: I went into the theater thinking that it had the intense possibility to be just another stupid teen film that is made primarily to showcase a pop soundtrack available at stores near you and to showcase Jack Black being loud and running around (Certainly, the television spots for this film don't do much to discourage this notion). So I had large doubts about the quality of "Orange County." Luckily, my doubts were ill-founded. "Orange County" is a fantastic film that manages to play its cards just right and come out the winner.The film stars Colin Hanks (son of Tom Hanks who, from the looks of this film, has leading-man status written all over him) as a high schooler who desparately wants to become a writer and, furthermore, study at Stanford University in California. Through a mishap his high school transcripts are sent under the wrong name and he is not accepted to the school. The rest of the film is a manic and laugh-out-loud attempt to try and get himself into Stanford.
It should be stated that, yes, this is a teen movie, but it's a smart teen movie with a razor sharp script (from Mike White who made the fantastic "Chuck & Buck" and has a very sharp eye for playful and humorous dialogue; he also has a hilarious cameo in the movie as an idiotic English teacher). Yes, the movie also has a pop soundtrack, but the music is smartly picked and used and, thus, enhances the story taking place. And yes, Jack Black is loud and runs around a lot, but his character is not nearly as influential on the story as the horrible TV Spots have led you to believe, and his supporting character does make for a very hysterical distraction from the main plot (In addition to a funny Jack Black, the film is also chock full of celebrity cameos that are all humorous to various degrees, most notably John Lithgow and Harold Ramis).
All in all, "Orange County" is a funny comedy in the veign of films like "There's Something About Mary." It's a crowd-pleasing film, but it's a smart and genuinely humorous crowd-pleasing film. It may not be for all tastes, but if you're looking for a laugh, you should give "Orange County" a try.
Movie Review: It's Not Just a Movie......It's a State of Mind
Summary: 5 Stars
"Orange County" is a great comedy that both includes witty humor, and stupid humor at the same time. I was very surprised with this movie, and I really enjoyed it. Even seeing it again, I was still pretty amazed with how good this movie really is.The movie is about a high school student, (Colin Hanks), who wants to go to Stanford University; to become a successful writer and to get the hell out of Orange County! But things get out of control when his admission records get mixed up and Stanford rejects him. Knowing that this mistake must be resolved, he'll do just about anything to set things right. With the help of his girlfriend and stoner brother, (Jack Black), Shaun Brumder is about to find out that getting out of Orange County just might not be the easiest thing in the world. The movie also includes stars like Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, and cameoes from Harold Ramis and Chevy Chase.
This is a very funny movie with a great script. This is a comedy that I think can appeal to everyone. Though it is PG-13 for some crude humor and drug content, this isn't the most outrageous or offensive movie. I wouldn't let really little kids see it, but it's nowhere near as bad as the "American Pie" movies. Colin Hanks does a great job on his part, and yes, Jack Black is hillarious. In fact, I think he's the funniest in the movie.
The DVD is okay. The picture and sound quality is great, but it lacks in special features. It contains 4 deleted scenes, comentary from the director and writer, theatrical trailer of the movie, and more. I think they could've included a little more, but it still doesn't take away any enjoyment from the movie.
"Orange County" is a great movie and a funny one at that. If you want to see a great comedy that has a great story and cast, this is the movie for you. I really like this movie, and I plan to watch it again and again.
Movie Review: Jack Black, Mike White and Orange County
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember seeing the trailers for Orange County back when it was out in theatres, and when it was fresh on DVD. It's actually a lot more thoughtful than it looked.
Shaun Brumder is a writer, who lives in Orange County, California. He wants to apply to Standford University so he can work with Marcus Skinner, tha author who inspired him to write. Trouble is, the application got mixed up, so someone else got to Stanford thanks to Shaun's hard work, and his family scared some connections away who came for dinner, vowing that Shaun would never go to Stanford ever. Shaun's brother, Lance (Jack Black) has an idea. They can all drive to Stanford and talk to the admissions Dean (Harold Ramis, Egon from Ghostbusters). He'll understand the mixup and the troubles when he sees Shaun's real SAT scores. Trouble follows though, and Shaun's hopes for college go up in smoke, almost literally. Will he be able to be a writer?
There's a lot of guest appearances in this film, which is good for a film all about characters, I thought. John Lithgow, Ben Stiller, Kevin Kline. It was interesting seeing Harold Ramis again. I don't see him in a lot of films these days, and I'm a big Ghostbusters fan. It's funny the way the characters of Orange County are done. They do some pretty silly things, and yet its just the things they do that are ridiculous, there's a heart to each of the characters, I thought. The actors seem to love playing them, and they're memorable and well written, and its not done in a malicious way. The Californian scenery went well with everything that was going on too, I thought.
Special features include deleted scenes and little promotional extras with unique material in them. There's also an audio commentary.
Worth a look if you're interested. Four and a half stars