VAN WILDER: PARTY LIAISON

2002, 92 minutes, Colour.
Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Kal Penn, Tim Matheson.
Directed by Walt Becker.


I was going to write a review of this film when I received the review from Cinema, the organisation for classifications of the Office for Women of the Bishops Conference of the Philippines. I thought they summed it up perfectly:

Van Wilder: Party Liaison is yet another teen movie done in the tradition of American Pie with a dash of Dumb and Dumber look. The film features a number of physical gags that seems to be the standard "gross scenes" of contemporary teen movies (e.g. the dog semen stuffed in éclairs). But this type of comedy approach is starting to be more annoying than funny; in fact, the audience apparently gets tired of this toilet humors. The movie as a whole has nothing new to offer (it only maintains some popular myths like a bad boy changing his ways as he meets the girl of his dreams) and it lacks substance as it fails in so many ways on the technical side.

If action and crime movies are accused of glorifying criminals, Van Wilder: Party Liaison is no different as it glorifies an easy-go-lucky and bum character. Notwithstanding the offensive scenes that insult the viewing public's sensitivities, Van Wilder's personification of a cool contemporary student will not inspire today's youth to value education and the importance of learning. Students who would see this film may think that Van's indecent and carefree behavior is acceptable as long as you can get away with it, and that the most important thing in life is partying and having fun.

Although it may be true that life to be fully lived should not be taken too seriously, this should not be an excuse to waste it irresponsibly. At the end of it all, humans are created to be stewards of life to take care of it, not as "party liaisons" to put it to waste. ( CINEMA. Date reviewed: September 20, 2002)