Review of Accepted (2006) by Mike S — 10 Jan 2011

I found this movie on purpose.

So? So this isn't something that I stumbled over that immediately demanded my attention. It didn't send me reeling at the novelty of the concept at the core of the plot or gasping at the legendary cast. It was something that I went looking for specifically to fill a certain set of shoes. In that capacity, it was exactly what I had hoped for; another slice of american pie. Not the brand stuff but hey, they put so many additives into the american pie series nowadays that the new recipes are hardly recognizable. And taste awful.

But yes, this film is exactly what it says on the back cover, or front photo - an atypical guy that didn't quite fit the profile of the desirable clique stumbles into a crazy situation and finds himself fighting against the norm for liberty, either from society, from circumstance, or from himself. There's a mean jock, an all too perfect romantic interest (seriously, I doubt Justin Long was concerned about pay, a script or his basic human rights during filming after seeing who he was working with), and wacky, trying-oh-so-hard-to-be-quotable, friends. The standard recipe, but without the secret ingredients you'd find in such treats as Superbad, Dodgeball or Sean of the Dead.

Am I saying don't watch this film? Hell no. Chances are you didn't see this in the blockbuster isle either. It could be exactly what you are looking for. It may not be the greatest teen comedy of all time, but sometimes if you've got a craving for something sweet, that stale pack of cookies at the back of the fridge starts to look pretty good huh? "Accepted" is fun, occasionally witty, and not the worst thing I've ever seen. It hits the spot in a pinch.