Harry here, now we have Rav, a rather arrogant scoundrel who likes to lord over people how many times he's seen The One Film. Bastard, snobbish prick, scum lord! And... To boot, he now shoves in our faces the fact that he's seen a hilarious comedy before the rest of us. Ewwww, he's a right tawdry bastard.
Orange County seems to have appeared out of nowhere, it’s got the best comedic ensemble cast this century. It comes out in less than a month now, and still it seems like paramount is just dropping this film like a dud with an advertising campaign fit for a obscure French documentary on rainforest snails. I really really really liked this film, although I noticed most of the screening audience dismissing it as "just another teen comedy." Sure it’s a teen comedy, but it’s a damn good teen comedy.
The film is written by Mike White, who is most widely known for Chuck & Buck (a film I have not seen, but have always been meaning to) he also wrote Dead Man On Campus which was a hilarious college comedy, but one dark fucking college comedy. The film is directed by Jake "Zero Effect" Kasden. Kasden proved he could direct some odd characters with Daryl Zero, in Orange County he goes a few steps forward as Colin Hank’s entire world is filled with oddball characters.
The film follows Shawn (Colin Hanks) a kid that was a directionless high-school surfer until one day he found a book in the sand that enveloped him, basically changing his life forever, after reading that book he knew he wanted to be a writer and began writing about his home-town Orange County. After this he now had focus, he wanted to be a writer and go to Stanford where he could study with the same author that changed his life. Everything seemed going perfect he had the scores and grades needed to get into Stanford, well until the High School counselor (Lily Tomlin) fucked it all up. She switched his transcript with that of a stoner kid who applied for Stanford as a joke. Shawn is desperate to go to Stanford, enlisting help from everyone willing including begging his rich asshole father, and blackmailing friends.
The film is funny as hell if just for his family, his mother played by Catherine O’Hara is a drunk constantly paranoid of their maid, Jack Black plays his fuckup brother who has about a stock-room full of illegal drugs in over the counter containers. Schuyler Fisk plays his girlfriend who is determined to save any stray animal passing by. There is also a host of cameos in the film that would just be evil of me to spoil them (unlike a few other reviewers).
What really makes Orange County unique is the way it looks at Shawn’s environment and school. The scene in which Chevy Chase, as the school principal, is discussing commencement speakers and Shawn suggests a Nobel prize winner, and Chase retorts asking another classmate if they could get Britney Spears, sums up highschool life perfectly. Shawn really has a disdain for his hometown and school, which works really well. People growing up that hate their home-towns will identify with the film very well.
Orange County has a knock-out cast and is really funny. I loved it.
I've seen Fellowship of the Rings 3 times you sorry sack of shit, eat me!
Rav
