Accepted

director: Steve Pink
writer: Adam Cooper and Bill Collage

Justin Long has a boyish sincerity about him that will probably ensure a reasonable future career. Jonah Hill (also seen in 40-Year-Old Virgin as the goldfish-in-boots lover) will probably pop up as the hefty sidekick/comic relief several more times. And Adam Herschman picks up where Curtis Armstrong (best known as Revenge of the Nerds's Booger) left off. There's the pretty blonde, Blake Lively, the object of our hero's affections who, of course, has a dopey jock boyfriend, Travis Van Winkle. Tell me, why are all film losers in love with the most popular girl in school who is almost always a skinny, tall blonde and who almost always is dating the most popular guy in school, the captain of the fill-in-the-blank sport? Can someone say "overreaching?" What's worse? Knowing you can't be with an out-of-your-league crush or being implanted with the false hope that maybe if you do something great, like say, invent a college, you can, but really there's no chance in hell?

Accepted is the Revenge of the Nerds, Animal House, Old School, PCU, etc. of the younger, modern generation. And while it follows in the tradition and is reminiscent of its predecessors, and even has some amusing observations, such as the under(or over)tones of homosexuality in a fraternity, the movie falls short - typical of underachievers. The movie was so busy collecting the obligatory aspects, like the round-up of the range in freaks and idiot savants, none of whom we get to know really well, that the details and funny comebacks that were so promising in the beginning fail us.

rating: **1/2/***** (take it or leave it)

recommendations: Old School, Revenge of the Nerds