Click to read the article
National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Synopsis: Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds, ABC’s “Two Guys and a Girl”) might be starting his seventh year at Coolidge College, but graduation is the furthest thing from his mind. Armed with a personal assistant and a coterie of admirers, Van has reached the status of living legend on campus, throwing bashes... Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds, ABC’s “Two Guys and a Girl”) might be starting his seventh year at Coolidge College, but graduation is the furthest thing from his mind. Armed with a personal assistant and a coterie of admirers, Van has reached the status of living legend on campus, throwing bashes that make geeks popular, raise money for charity and generally “inspire the uninspired.” But when Van’s father refuses to pay any more of his son’s tuition bills, Van must turn to party planning for profit in order to continue living in under-graduate bliss, thereby becoming the subject of an exposé by disapproving school journalist Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid, Josie and the Pussycats, American Pie). What begins as a clash of wills, however, soon leads to unexpected romance as Van and Gwen both realize they have a lot to learn from each other. The only problem: Gwen’s self-obsessed, frat house boyfriend, Richard, who’s determined, at any cost, to put a stop to Van’s rule as campus king. In the tradition of Ferris Beuller’s Day Off and Rushmore, Van Wilder: Party Liaison brings us an intrepid, visionary hero with the brains and the bravado to change school as we know it. Outrageous, irreverent and absolutely charming, this winning campus comedy is all about the burden of facing real life…and the freedom that comes from not taking it too seriously. -- © 2002 Artisan Entertainment [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson, Daniel Cosgrove
Screenwriter: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg
Producer: Peter Abrams, Andrew Panay
Composer: David Lawrence
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 8, 2008
DVD Features:
- Widescreen
Audio:
- 7.1 PCM - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - Drunken Idiot Kommentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurette - 1. PARTY LEGENDS, AND BULL-IES
- 2. GWEN-EZUMA'S REVENGE
- 3. Burly TV Specials
- 4. Comedy Centrals "REEL COMEDY: National Lampoons Van Wilder
- Music Video - Sugarcult - Bouncing Off The Walls
- Outtakes
Interactive Features:
- TESTICLES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM: Interactive Quizzicle
- WRITE THAT DOWN - Quotes from and Inspired by the Film
- Blu-Book Exam: Van Wilder Unrated Edition Exclusive Blu-ray Interactive Game
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Ultimate College Party Guide
Reviews
The film is all over the place, really. It dabbles all around, never gaining much momentum.
Enthusiastically taking up the current teen movie concern with bodily functions, Walt Becker's film pushes all the demographically appropriate comic buttons.
I know it's harder to write good jokes than it is rotten ones, but based on what's displayed here, it doesn't seem like the effort was even made.
Compare it to the recent Cameron Diaz-starring disaster The Sweetest Thing and you'll reckon it deserves an Oscar.
...Mainly a collection of dumb sight gags, gross-out jokes, and comic sex, with a dull-as-dishwater premise and a spotty cast list.
While Van Wilder may not be the worst National Lampoon film, it's far from being this generation's Animal House.
Related Forums

by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/3/06
Pictures
News
posted by Scott Weinberg March 08, 2007
According to a pair of sources, director Walt Becker is all hot to get his "Wild Hogs" cast members back for a...
posted by Tim Ryan November 30, 2006
This week at the movies, we've got a new take on the first Noel ("The Nativity Story," starring Keisha...
posted by Gitesh Pandya November 30, 2006
The post-turkey blues will kick in as the North American box office should slump this weekend following a busy...
posted by Jen Yamato May 30, 2006
Paul Gleason, who frequently played figures of authority in his four decades-long television and film career, died...
Around the Network
National Lampoon's Van Wilder at IGN
National Lampoon's Van Wilder at AskMen

Top Critic