Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006)

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 jolly old England, where he is continuing his education at stuffy Camford University. At first... 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]