Championing an especially pertinent concept for new college students, still with the college application process fresh in their freshmen minds, Accepted as a light end of the summer comedy came at an opportune time.’ It lacked side-splitting laughs, and the plot, while adequate, left much to be desired, but if you were looking for a cutesy Disney-like comedy that celebrates the quirky underdog youth of America, its definitely worth an hour and a half of a weekend.’
Justin Long, whom some might know as the Mac computer spokesman or the characteristic geek from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, was an extremely likeable leading man with enough geeky charm to go around.’ His character is a dynamic one, easy to side with, but somewhat awkward as throughout the movie, he tensely cons hundreds of parents and students into thinking the retired mental facility he rents is the sister school to a near-by prestigious university.’ His class-clown attitude is as clich’eacute; as his band of cohorts, including a chubby socially inadequate smarty (Jonah Hill), a top-of-the-class Ivy League reject (Maria Thayer), and his love object a cute sporty blonde (Blake Lively).’ The enemy?’ None other than a pretentious fraternity whose sole purpose seems to be to thwart the efforts of the pseudo-school, tensions coming to a head in a way that parallels the resolve of the 1978 college classic, Animal House.’
How does Acceptance manage to skirt by being a flop?’ There are clever insinuations about the jumbled, seemingly meaningless tactics of college administration that any modern student could identify with, as well as crude but witty subtleties, such as the unfortunate acronym created by the name of the phony college: the South Harmon Institute of Technology.’ A small part by renowned stand-up comedian, Lewis Black, also lends credit to the movie.’ Casting the belligerent political satirist as a social outcast shoe salesman gone make-shift dean and professor at South Harmon was a wonderful asset to the film’s overall comedy.’
In the end will people be quoting more from Accepted than ‘ask me about my wiener?” Probably not.’ But this movie could serve as an important milestone for young, rising comedic actors such as Long and Lively who are still hoping to be accepted.’ ‘ ‘
