It was bound to happen. It seems a decade can't go by without National Lampoon's trotting out another round of college chicanery for us to compare to Animal House. This decade's entrant is Van Wilder, a movie about a college student who just loves the place so much he doesn't want to leave. It's a mediocre film when you add up all of its funny and original moments, but the overall charm of Wilder himself--played by Ryan Reynolds (of "Two Guys and a Girl fame)--is enough to save it from being just another sloppy teen gross-fest. Reynolds gives the kind of performance that Chevy Chase delivered in Caddyshack: cool, collected and well-timed. He seems to be channelling Chase--and Jim Carrey--throughout the film, but not so much that it gets annoying. Van Wilder is entertaining in the way that Police Academy is, as a sort of snotty distraction from more complicated fare... and that's not a bad thing. Now it's arrived on DVD, in a two-disc set from Artisan that is all extraed-up. If you loved the film, the two-disc set will be your heaven. If not, no amount of special features will save it for you. The Movie
The film is as sophomoric as they come (heh.. college joke), but it still has its merits. Fans of the ever-expanding gross-out genre will find a lot here to please them. There's cross-dressing, tons of bodily fluid jokes, cheesy and unnecessary (but oh-so-necessary for the genre) nudity, and lots of sex-related banter. There are the standard fart jokes, boob jokes, wang jokes, and drug jokes. There are stereotypes galore: the horny foreign student, the tough, unattainable woman who's put to change Van's ways (Tara Reid), the loyal best friend (Teck Holmes), and the evil frat boy.  You will never go to this party. It doesn't exist.  God, I wish that was eclair filling...  Not even beer goggles makes this right. The Video
The cinematography in a movie like Van Wilder is almost always secondary, so we aren't treated to much visually. The film is straightforward and technically sound, but it won't rock your senses. Still, it gets a decent transfer, so you'll be able to see dog testes and vomit as clear as they were presented in the theatre. The film is presented in either 16:9 widescreen or fullscreen (if you're into crap). The Audio
Again, this is not an audio showcase disc, but the sound is decent. Presented in either 2.0 or 5.1 Dolby Surround, the mix is good, and does well with the Top-40 sountrack that weaves throughout the film. It can't stand up to something like Lord of the Rings, but it doesn't embarrass itself, either.  Hi, I'm Naomi. That's "I moan" backwards.
Since this is an unrated cut of the film, the movie in and of itself is an extra. It's got some restored material (mainly gross-out stuff) in it that made the censors cringe. Beyond that (even for a two-disc set), this puppy comes loaded. In fact, the only thing it's really missing is a commentary track. Take a look at what's in store, mostly on disc two:- Live action menus (censored and uncensored)
- Deleted scenes (some unrrated)
- Outtakes
- Comedy Central's "Reel Comedy: National Lampoon's Van Wilder"
- Burly TV Specials: Half Baked, Impostor, Movie Junky
- "Bouncing Off the Walls" music video by Sugarcult
- The Van Wilder Files
- The Music of Van Wilder
- Van Wilder Campaign Art Gallery
- TV spots
- Van Wilder trailers
- Trailer Gallery of upcoming releases
The deleted scenes and outtakes were my favorite features, and the spoofy Burly TV stuff wasn't bad, either. The Comedy Central piece was alright, but it's a shallow subsitute for a good commentary. It would have been fun to hear from Ryan "I Swear I'm Not Chevy Chase" Reynolds or director Walt Becker. Some insight into some of the more repugnant scenes in the film would have been welcome. Still, the second disc is a big bonus, especially for fans of this debaucherous man-fest.  You can see what's behind the sign with the uncensored menus. No, I'm not talking about Booger. |
