Accordingly, he wants to attend Stanford where Skinner is a professor, not only to become a writer, but also to escape his family life. His mom, Cindy Beugler (CATHERINE O'HARA) is a depressed alcoholic who forgets to give Bob, her wheelchair-bound husband, his medicine, and doesn't want Shaun to leave home for college. His brother, Lance (JACK BLACK), is always high and/or in a perpetual daze, while their estranged and self-absorbed but wealthy father, Bud (JOHN LITHGOW), isn't happy with Shaun's career choice.
Shaun's only real support comes from his girlfriend, Ashley (SCHUYLER FISK), but she isn't crazy about the idea of them going to different colleges. Nevertheless, Shaun is intent on attending Stanford, but when his admission application is rejected due to a clerical error by Charlotte Cobb (LILY TOMLIN), Vista Del Mar's college counselor, his world is shattered.
From that point on, and with the assistance of Ashley and Lance, Shaun sets out to correct the error. That leads them to meeting various people along the way, including Arthur Gantner (GARRY MARSHALL), Stanford's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife Vera (DANA IVEY); Dean of Admissions Don Durkett (HAROLD RAMIS); and others, all of whom he tries to convince to admit him to Stanford, all while dealing with his family and friends who inevitably complicate matters.
Various women are seen in varying degrees of revealing attire, while one man is seen in his underwear and most of his bare rear end is briefly seen in a nonsexual setting. Various couples are seen making out (including two women, as well as the beginnings of what appears will be a threesome), implied sexual encounters seemingly take place off camera, and there are some indications that two high school friends are really gay.
Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some imitative behavior is present. One character is a druggie (he shares a joint with a woman, while some of his pills cause a Dean to become high), while other characters drink and/or smoke.
Some tense family matters are present regarding an estranged father, and a son trying to cope with his family's dysfunctional behavior. A character is killed off camera while surfing, while various pratfalls, some slapstick material and some person-to-person violence are present (and all played for laughs).
If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your family, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.
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(2002) (Colin Hanks, Jack Black) (PG-13)
Alcohol/
DrugsBlood/Gore
Disrespectful/
Bad AttitudeFrightening/
Tense ScenesGuns/
Weapons
Heavy
Mild
Heavy
None
None
Imitative
BehaviorJump
ScenesMusic
(Scary/Tense)Music
(Inappropriate)Profanity
Moderate
None
None
None
Heavy
Sex/
NuditySmoking
Tense Family
ScenesTopics To
Talk AboutViolence
Heavy
Minor
Moderate
Mild
Mild
CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.
(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).
Reviewed January 8, 2002 / Posted January 11, 2002
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