RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / National Lampoon's Van Wilder
National Lampoon's Van Wilder

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
19 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:86

Fresh:16

Rotten:70

Average Rating:3.5/10

Consensus: A derivative gross-out comedy that's short on laughs.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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]

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson, Daniel Cosgrove

Director: Walt Becker

Director: Walt Becker
Screenwriter: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg
Producer: Peter Abrams, Andrew Panay
Composer: David Lawrence
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 11

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for National Lampoon's Van Wilder

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While Van Wilder may not be the worst National Lampoon film, it's far from being this generation's Animal House.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Heather Wadowski
Heather Wadowski
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/05/02
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Writers Brent Goldberg and David Wagner apparently saw no reason to bother with anything so sophisticated as, say, story or characters.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Strangely comes off as a kingdom more mild than wild.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
09/09/02
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

Its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces... are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half. Still, it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
09/09/02
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

What more can be expected from a college comedy that's target audience hasn't graduated from junior high school?

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
08/25/02
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

You'll likely hate yourself for laughing, but laugh you will.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/19/02
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/17/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

An uneven mix of National Lampoon-style high jinks (yes, it feels slightly dated) and Farrelly-brothers touches tossed in for gross measure.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Uncouth, unfunny and sloppily edited, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder is a mediocre college sex comedy ...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
07/31/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An unabashedly bad movie full of cliches, claptrap, fairly good rock 'n' roll and stomach-turning gross-out gags.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/20/02
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

Quite funny for the type of movie it is...

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
07/09/02
Paul Salfen
Paul Salfen
Supercala.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
06/13/02
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

While grosser is often better, Van Wilder devises some truly nasty images and then wallows in them to ludicrous extremes that drain out all the humor

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
06/13/02
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

An effervescent campus gross-out comedy that’s true to the amoral, anarchic spirit of Lampoon founder-editor and screenwriter Doug Kenney.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
06/01/02
John Patterson
John Patterson
L.A. Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
06/01/02
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News

The most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters.

Full Review Source: Hot Button | comment Comment
05/31/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

I went in not wanting to like it, not wanting to laugh, and certainly not to give it any credence for being this generation's "Animal House." But it is, and it's funny.

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
05/20/02
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

Almost makes Wing Commander seem watchable.

Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/10/02
Matt Easterbrook
Matt Easterbrook
Matt's Movie Reviews
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for National Lampoon's Van Wilder

March 08, 2007: Yep, "Wild Hogs 2"
According to a pair of sources, director Walt Becker is all hot to get his "Wild Hogs" cast members back for a quick sequel. More...

November 30, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Nativity" Is Too Safe; "Turistas" Not Worth Trip
This week at the movies, we've got a new take on the first Noel ("The Nativity Story," starring Keisha Castle-Hughes), endangered Americans in Brazil... More...

November 30, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: "Nativity" Leads Trio of New Releases
The post-turkey blues will kick in as the North American box office should slump this weekend following a busy Thanksgiving holiday frame. More...

May 30, 2006: TV Staple Paul Gleason Succumbs to Lung Cancer
Paul Gleason, who frequently played figures of authority in his four decades-long television and film career, died Saturday from a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Avatar Picks Up Golden Globes Buzz Source: HitFix
17
  • Disney's Upcoming Hand-Drawn Movies Revealed Source: Slashfilm
7
  • Cameron Explains Blue Avatar Aliens Source: MTV
23
  • Matt Damon Expects Greengrass to Return for Fourth Bourne Source: Collider.com
6
  • Burton's Dark Shadows Rising in 2010 Source: Sci Fi Wire
6
  • Exclusive: The World of Where the Wild Things Are
27
  • Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit, LotR Blu-ray Source: Collider.com
20
  • Woman Jailed for Filming New Moon Screening Source: Chicago Sun-Times
18
  • McG Has Plans for Fifth and Sixth Terminator Movies Source: Gizmodo
204
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
83
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
57
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
29
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
24
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • National Lampoon's Van Wilder at Rotten Tomatoes
  • National Lampoon's Van Wilder at IGN
  • National Lampoon's Van Wilder at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.