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Movies / On DVD / Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj

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Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006)

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Reviews Counted:42

Fresh:3

Rotten:39

Average Rating:2.7/10

Consensus: A low-brow comedy, minus the comedy.

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: The legacy of perpetual college party-man Van Wilder lives on in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER 2: THE RISE OF TAJ, as his former apprentice Taj Mahal Badalandabad (Kal Penn) takes the torch to... The legacy of perpetual college party-man Van Wilder lives on in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER 2: THE RISE OF TAJ, as his former apprentice Taj Mahal Badalandabad (Kal Penn) takes the torch to jolly old England, where he is continuing his education at stuffy Camford University. At first things look bleak for Taj, despite his gleaming newfound confidence and hip makeover from his days at Coolidge College, as he is rejected by the prestigious fraternity, Fox and Hounds, and ends up boarding with a group of misfits. Driven to live up to his former mentor's good name and also to make his father proud, Taj sets out to prove his big-man-on-campus potential by unabashedly leading his outcast housemates in an attempt to defeat the wealthy elite of Camford in a range of competitions for the coveted Hastings Cup. Like its predecessor, the film is chockful of vulgar humor and sophomoric antics. Although Taj is the only character to appear from the first VAN WILDER (with the exception of Wilder's pet bulldog), many of the plot points are predictably similar. Occasionally peeking through the excessive sexual references, outrageous gags, and cringe-worthy debauchery is a laugh-out-loud film that encourages the underdog and thumbs its nose at the establishment. Much like the grandfather of all college films, ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), VAN WILDER 2: THE RISE OF TAJ examines the lighter side of higher education, pointing out that its not only about earning a diploma but also about discovering one's potential--and not forgetting to have fun along the way. [More]

Starring: Anthony Cozens, Kal Penn, Holly Davidson, Daniel Percival

Starring: Anthony Cozens, Kal Penn, Holly Davidson, Daniel Percival, Amy Steel, Steven Rathman

Director: Mort Nathan

Director: Mort Nathan
Producer: Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, Elie Samaha
Screenwriter: Brent Goldberg
Composer: Robert Folk
Studio: MGM/UA

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Reviews for Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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This is shocking only for its tepidness; except for some raunchy language, it's ready-made for basic cable.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
07/28/09
Reece Pendleton
Reece Pendleton
Chicago Reader

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com

Screw Tara Reid! Who needs her in this movie. We've got a cockney girl with huge knockers.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
04/13/07
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

prefers to dwell in deep direct-to-DVD juvenility.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/27/07
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
02/03/07
Los Angeles Daily News

Penn sports little of the squirrelly charm evidenced by the original Van Wilder star, Ryan Reynolds.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
02/03/07
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Penn is capable of so much more.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
02/03/07
Randy Cordova
Randy Cordova
Arizona Republic

National Lampoon recycles countless collegiate comedies for this spin-off sequel.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/03/07
Stephen Garrett
Stephen Garrett
Time Out New York

From haphazard editing to clueless cinematography to godawful acting to gaping plot holes to zero laughs to low production values, this sorry sequel has all the earmarks of your classic 'take the money and run' ripoff.

Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine | comment Comment
12/25/06
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine

...original star Ryan Reynolds wisely took a pass on coming back for more...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
12/10/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Granted, it's still ****, but with a sweeter odor than usual.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
12/08/06
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

Everything old is old again in this rickety extension of 2002's already rickety Van Wilder.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
12/06/06
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

There was a hedonistic amorality and joyous celebration of privilege in the first Van Wilder that's missing from its sequel. That's fine with me. I hated that movie.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
12/04/06
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Taj plays like a very bad combination of Revenge of the Nerds and Harry Potter.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
12/04/06
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

Britain and India face off in National Lampoon's Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, a strained attempt to transplant the American campus comedy to more uptight shores.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/04/06
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ill-conceived.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
12/04/06
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

Van Wilder 2's sense of numbing familiarity is not enhanced by director Mort Nathan's apparent unfamiliarity with the entire filmmaking process.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
12/04/06
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
Globe and Mail

Some movies are Hollywood's version of littering: Like half-eaten pizzas or rancid burgers, these flicks are tossed aside to rot in empty cinemas.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
12/04/06
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Dude, where are my laughs?

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/04/06
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

It's hard to fathom why this didn't go straight to video, or maybe even YouTube.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
12/04/06
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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