National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002) - Movie Review

Gross out comedies have come a long way since Animal House, but if the people in charge thought that just by stamping the "National Lampoon's" tag on a new college comedy would make it a success, they were sadly mistaken. To say the least, National Lampoon's Van Wilder is clichéd, not to mention boring.

There has been a real lack of quality gross out comedies in the last couple of years, and so I really had my hopes up for a new "National Lampoon's" movie (yes, I was tricked into going by that title). I mean, it really shouldn't be that hard to make a gross out sex comedy on a college campus, yet Van Wilder shows that not everything is as easy as it seems. Van Wilder is nothing more than a lame romance comedy with some sex jokes and a lot of slow sections in between.

There are very few genuinely funny moments in the movie. There's a good blow job gag at the beginning, a hilarious pastry sequence, and a few other mildly funny scenes here and there, but for the most part, Van Wilder just isn't that funny. The movie is filled with jokes, but most of them just didn't invoke any kind of laughter from my throat. I wasn't that amused.

The problem lies in that Van Wilder is trying to be a gross out comedy with heart. It has gross stuff, but Van Wilder is a generally good guy, which is fine until it starts interfering with the stuff audiences want. People want more of Animal House - they want some sex, some nudity, and some really clever gags. Van Wilder just fails in that department.

National Lampoon's Van Wilder is an utter disappointment.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.