ORANGE COUNTY
Released: January 11, 2002
A guidance counselor (the always wondeful Lily Tomlin) mistakenly sends out the wrong transcripts to Stanford University under the name of an over-achieving high schooler played by the son of Tom Hanks, otherwise known as Colin Hanks. This is the new movie from Jake Kasdan, himself the Son of great director Lawrence Kasdan ("Grand Canyon", "The Big Chill"). Jake also directed one of 1998's sleeper hits "Zero Effect" with Ben Stiller and Bill Pullman. Also starring in "Orange County" is Jack Black, Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, Chevy Chase, Schuyler Fisk (daughter of Sissy Spacek), "Ghostbusters" director Harold Ramis, an un-billed Kevin Kline (whom has acted in a few of Lawrence Kasdan's flicks), the aforementioned Ben Stiller, Garry Marshall, Leslie Mann and Jane Adams among many others. As a teen movie, it just can't decide if it wants to be a gross-out "American Pie" type or a thoughtful serious type. Since it bounces to and from both genres throughout, I was not too concerned what happened to the paper thin characters but at least it was a fun ride. The inclusion of Jack Black, who seems to be wearing his underwear during the whole film, adds a Jim Carrey wacky quality that Carrey used to display before getting all serious in movies like "The Majestic".
95 Minutes
Paramount