Van Wilder: Freshman Year

2009 UR 1h 38m DVD

Van Wilder: Freshman Year

2009 UR 1h 38m DVD
  • Overview
  • Details
This prequel to National Lampoon's cult hit Van Wilder takes us to the beginning of young Van's college career and reveals how the charismatic slacker became the indomitable party animal we've come to know and love.
Cast
Jonathan Bennett, Kristin Cavallari, Kurt Fuller, Steve Talley, Nestor Aaron Absera, Nick Nicotera, Jerry Shea, Meredith Giangrande, Irene Keng, Linden Ashby
Director
Harvey Glazer
Format
DVD
Screen
Widescreen 1.85:1
Subtitles
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish (Neutral)
CC
No
Audio
English: Dolby True HD, English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Rating
UR -
age 16+
Common Sense rating Not for kids 16 & under
age 16+

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this is a review of the unrated DVD and not the R-rated version from theaters. This youth-baiting sex comedy is centered on "fornication," partying, drugs, and humiliation-revenge as key parts of the college experience. Much female cleavage and toplessness, and even "abstaining" students (the girls, anyway) are practically nymphomaniacs when tempted. Religious types and military (with a few exceptions) are depicted as immoral right-wing hostiles, compared to the freewheeling title dude, whose anything-goes lifestyle is made to look heroic. Profanity is not nonstop but plentiful enough. Seeing other Van Wilder movies isn't necessary for following the, er, intricacies of the narrative.

Sexual Content

Lots of sex (and sex metaphors, verbal and visual), masturbation suggestions. Topless girls and cheerleaders clad in underwear or lingerie. A veritable gallery of penis-shaped sex toys displayed and used by co-eds. Oral sex granted by both enticing females and a dog -- a male bulldog with large genitalia. A variety of bizarre sexual positions are demonstrated (by mostly clothed subjects) in a sex-ed class. Talk of pornography.

Violence

Football tackles, a few thrown punches, an extra knocked senseless by a golf ball. Hand to hand combat between male and female cadets. A gun brandished threateningly.

Language

The f-word, the s-word, and "asshole" uttered numerous times. An Asian student's name is Yu Dom Fok.

Social Behavior

Glorifies anti-authoritarian behavior, with smooth hero Van Wilder spreading a mindset of hypersexual partying and gratification -- which is depicted as healthy and positive. Chastity and celibacy are identified with the villains -- as is Bible-reading and religious observance. Miltary cadets and officers are grim sadists prone to violence, elitism, and impotence. The "education" experience consists of socializing, sex, and revenge; scholarship/studying only comes up in the context of sex-ed class.

Consumerism

References to other movies (like Scarface), as well as Wheel of Fortune; a thinly disguised Playboy magazine, and of course a natural tie-in to early Van Wilder antics.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

A white student pretending to be Jamaican blissfully smokes or otherwise ingests marijuana. Party-hearty drinking, including the main character "waterboarded" with beer.

  • Age appropriate
  • Not an issue
  • Depends on your child and your family
  • Parents strongly cautioned
  • Not appropriate for kids of the age

This information for parents is provided by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives.

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