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The Movie: Although the "American Pie" series lives on on video (another direct-to-video sequel comes out before year's end), the teen comedy genre has undergone something of a slide in popularity lately. "Accepted" may seem like it's a couple of years late, but the film does at least offer an enjoyable blend of "Old School" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". The film focuses on Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long), a smart high school senior who finds himself facing rejection from every college he applies to. Tired of his parents being on him constantly about where he's going to school, Bartleby becomes desperate and decides to create a fake acceptance letter from the South Harmon Institute of Technology (get it?) He even has his pal create a website in order to fake out his folks, who present him with a $10,000 check for the first semester. Bartleby and his pals then realize that they have to take things a step further, leasing out a very creepy abandoned mental asylum. While they manage to transform the place enough, the lie continues to build when Bartleby's father requires a visit with the Dean. Thinking quickly, they decide to shoehorn in a former mall shoe store employee (Louis Black) to fill in. All is well and good, until they realize that they left the website up, and what appear to be at least a couple of hundred students that got "accepted" are waiting outside. Soon enough, a legion of kids are speaking up about how proud they were to be accepted someplace and, while Bartleby originally was going to call the whole thing off, suddenly the whole idea gains momentum. South Harmon becomes a place for students to study what they want, when they want. "Accepted" noticably suffers from its PG-13 rating. It's a little teen comedy that doesn't appear to have cost much. It's a movie about teenagers worrying about getting into college (in other words, those in the neighborhood of 17.) So...would it really have hurt to allow the picture an R-rating? As is, the movie is funny at times, but it feels like every joke and every bit of potentially offensive material has been vacuumed out. What's left works well enough for what it is, but it still seems rather vanilla. As for the plot, the movie's operating with a fun idea, but "Accepted" chooses to build to the usual battle of the underdogs against the opposition (in this case, the evil Dean of a real Harmon college, who's looking to expand by knocking down the new South Harmon) instead of really doing anything really inventive with the idea of a kid who finds himself head of a fake college. The film sort of pokes at what it thinks it wrong with colleges, but never really follows through. The film is the freshman directorial effort from "Grosse Pointe Blank" (where's a sequel to that film?) screenwriter Steve Pink. While the material could be better, Pink thankfully has Long in the lead role. While the actor isn't remarkably funny, he does get some good laughs and is perfect for this Ferris Bueller-ish character that has to keep thinking up ways to get out of trouble. Lewis Black essentially plays Lewis Black again here, but that's always amusing. Blake Lively ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") is also pleasant as the girl that Bartleby secretly loves. I don't want to sound as if I didn't care for "Accepted" as, despite its faults, it manages to be an entertaining way to spend a couple of afternoon hours. However, it often becomes apparent that, had the film not been restricted by its PG-13 (one of the last lines would have gotten more of a laugh had it not been bleeped) and had the script punched up the core idea a bit, this had the potential to be something much more than it is. Note: despite the fact that this seems exactly like the kind of movie that would get an "unrated" edition, the only one available is the PG-13 edition. The DVD VIDEO: "Accepted" is presented by Universal in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. While visually rather basic and low-budget, the presentation offers the material about as well as can be expected. Sharpness and detail are consistently fine, as the picture looks crisp and clear throughout. Some minor edge enhancement is spotted on a couple of occasions, as are a few slight instances of pixelation. No print flaws are seen, either. Colors appear natural and accurately presented, with no smearing or other issues. SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack remained a basic "comedy" sound mix throughout, with - aside from some slight reinforcement for the music - little surround use. Audio quality was fine, with crisp dialogue and bassy music. EXTRAS: actors Lewis Black, Justin Long, Jonah Hill and Adam Herschman, as well as director Steve Pink sit down for an audio commentary for the film. "Adam's Accepted Chronicles" is a short and funny featurette following actor Adam Herschman as he prepares for his first role. We also get nearly 12 minutes of deleted scenes, an amusing (although unfortunately, filled with bleeps, given the film's PG-13) 8-minute gag reel, 2 music videos, an "interactive campus tour", a bizarre extended scene (available as an easter egg) and a 10-minute "making of". Final Thoughts: "Accepted" is a likable movie with a fun plot and fine performances. However, as amusing as the picture can be at times, one wishes that it had run at least a little further with the core idea. The DVD offers an excellent set of special features, along with fine audio/video quality. Recommended for fans, others should rent first. 
Film Grade The Film B- DVD Grades Video 86/B Audio: 86/B Extras: 84/B |