Critic Reviews
Van Wilder (2002) Rank 5 Reviews
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based on (156) reviews
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Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
When the teen horror genre was revived with "Scream", for the next 18 months we got decent clones with each having a different spin of their own ("I Know What You Did Last Summer", "Halloween: H20", "Bride of Chucky"), and then the genre just ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
MovieWeb (Stephen "Kerouac" Lindsay)
Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
Write this down...
If you're looking
for an outrageous comedy to take your mind off your problems and
make you laugh 'til it hurts, then "National Lampoon's Van
Wilder" is the movie for ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
Daily-Reviews.com (Brian Matherly)
The least of the three shows from Burly is Half Baked, which is similar to the popular "Dinner and a Movie" program that airs on TBS. It is pretty much the host Bernadette Pauley, Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, and the band Sugarcult making a food item ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Daily-Reviews.com (Brian Matherly)
Cyber-Funk Online Review (Mirza Causevic)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
UpcomingDiscs.com (Dan Bradley)
During my years at college in Philadelphia, there was a guy who lived at the end of the freshman hall whom had been around far longer than any other freshman. He gathered a following and essentially coached his young ones, myself included, on how to ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at UpcomingDiscs.com (Dan Bradley)
CinemaSpeak.com (Jason White)
Remember when Jim Carrey was known as "that funny white guy from In Living Color?" He had a cult following, and few knew of him, but his faithful followers sang high praise, claiming he was the next Jerry Lewis, or something like that. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at CinemaSpeak.com (Jason White)
Entertainment Ave! - The Movie Theater
UTK Daily Beacon (Pamela Smith)
Entertainmentopia - DVD Review
This won't be the best movie you ever see, and it won't be the last teen movie you ever see, but Van Wilder has a certain charm that sets it apart for the mediocre movies of the 1980s and creates one of the best college comedies this side of Road ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Entertainmentopia - DVD Review
The Monkeyhouse Lounge reviews
filmcritic.com boots Van Wilder (Blake French)
Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
The (Georgetown) Hoya
Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Entertain Your Brain! - Review
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
For the purposes of this review, I chose to watch the unrated version of National Lampoon's Van Wilder because it's probably the version most people will opt to watch now that it's on video. Boy, did I make a mistake. I've seen quite a bit of toilet humo ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
CountingDown review (Daniel Baig)
Movie House Commentary
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Someone in Hollywood must've sent out a memo promising "hit movies" for anything set in college with naked chicks, an ANIMAL HOUSE-feel and zany frat boys, since both SLACKERS and SORORITY BOYS preceded this film to theatres this year, but ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
DigitalVD.de (Carsten Scheibe)
San Diego Union-Tribune (Angela Carroll)
While some of the pranks in National Lampoon's Van Wilder are more extreme than we've seen in There's Something About Mary or the American Pie movies, this film has enough heart to balance it out. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (Angela Carroll)
CultureDose.net (Lee Chase IV)
MovieEye.com (Gareth Von Kallenbach)
DVDwolf (Rob Paul)
Box Office Prophets
MovieEye.com (Gareth Von Kallenbach)
The college party film is one of the most familiar of films to anyone who has watched teen comedies. Perhaps the most famous of the line would be "Animal House": where the late John Belushi had audiences in stitches with the antics of the Delta House and ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at MovieEye.com (Gareth Von Kallenbach)
DVD Verdict (Patrick Naugle)
CultureDose.net (John Beachem)
Entertainment Insiders
cin3ma - Moving Pictures
IndependentCritics.com (TC Candler)
Guess the Gross
DVD Town (Dean Winkelspecht)
Film Monthly (Jon Bastian)
Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics
DVD Net (Adrian Turvey)
Movie-Vault.com (Nate Anderson)
filethirteen.com
Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium review
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
allesfilm.com (Thomas Taborsky)
Mutant Reviewers From Hell
This lecture is aimed at the comedy filmmakers of the world who are apparently suffering under the delusion that gross equals funny. [throw a tomato at the screen] You see, once in a rare blue falootin' moon there comes a movie that presents a gross-out ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell
MovieFreak.com (John Teves)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Los Angeles Times (Gene Seymour)
B Fatt. & Lazy Movie Reviews
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
The Hot Button (David Poland)
Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces... are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half. Still, it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Entertainment Insiders (Ed Malinowski)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
eye WEEKLY (Jason Anderson)
MovieJuice (Mark Ramsay)
The Trades (Alex Keen)
Reel.com (Tor Thorsen)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
An uneven mix of National Lampoon -style high jinks (yes, it feels slightly dated) and Farrelly-brothers touches tossed in for gross measure. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Slant Magazine
he casting says it all. Remember Booger from Revenge of the Nerds? Curtis Armstrong is a bit cleaner in National Lampoon's Van Wilder. He plays a security guard at a college where seven-year student Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) reigns supreme. Like ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Slant Magazine
Entertainment Weekly
The title of National Lampoon's Van Wilder is, of course, meant to evoke memories of a certain other raucous college comedy. Leaving aside that the cachet of the Lampoon logo passed its expiration date somewhere around 1984, is there really an army ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Entertainment Weekly
Reel.com
Co-star Kal Penn steals the show as Van's assistant, Taj. When Taj is first introduced, he appears to be yet another cringe-inducing South Asian stereotype, replete with a thick accent (paging Apu Nahasapeemapetlon!) and nerdy style of dress. But when ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Reel.com
Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
Tara Reid really stinks in this film. I had not noticed how bad she was in the past, probably because in her other films she was wisely relegated to the background (i.e., room decoration) while others were given the more substantive parts. But in the ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
Not a whole helluva lot! Van Wilder is enjoying his 7th year of undergrad experience, and when his rich Daddy pulls the plug, a whole gaggle of cheerleaders, goofballs, and slobs pour out of the woodwork to help Van stay in school. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at DVD Clinic (Scott Weinberg)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
The Boston Phoenix
CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Luciana Morelli)
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Cinema 2000 (João Lopes)
Xi-online (Peter Oosterman)
Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
Van Wilder has a few quick breast shots, some drugs use and several references to the size of his dogs testicles but it really seems modest considering it's subject matter. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
San Francisco Examiner (Joe Leydon)
A beery, boisterous guilty pleasure. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Joe Leydon)
The Movie Chicks
Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is not just a college hanger-on. He has spent his days (going on seven years) at Coolidge College in a very productive, philanthropic manor. Ok, it might look like frivolous partying but he's doing it for a good cause. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at The Movie Chicks
Boston Globe (Loren King)
[Reynold's] boyish, sweet-natured comic appeal makes ''Van Wilder'' better than it has a right to be. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Boston Globe (Loren King)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
In 1978, a movie called Animal House hit theaters and quickly became the college student's Bible. The film not only withstood the test of time as one of the funniest comedies ever made, but also gave birth to the National Lampoon franchise. Now, over ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
National Lampoon's Van Wilder may aim to be the next Animal House , but it more closely resembles this year's version of Tomcats . ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
While grosser is often better, Van Wilder devises some truly nasty images and then wallows in them to ludicrous extremes that drain out all the humor ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Movie Habit (Heather Wadowski)
As splendid as Reynolds is, Tara Reid is drab and emotionless as the reporter who supposedly (it’s implied, but her performance makes it hard to see) falls in love with Van. Reid shows little change from her character in the American Pie movies ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Movie Habit (Heather Wadowski)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
For a movie that is almost entirely set at keggers, it's surprisingly entertaining. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Okay, so they're small laughs. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Unofficially, National Lampoon's Van Wilder is Son of Animal House . Officially, it is twice as bestial but half as funny. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
The Movie Insider (Kyle Smith)
Comparisons to Animal House are inevitable, and justly so. That film has become the embodiment of an entire culture, a guidebook by which brainless (and brained) college men live their twenties. Van Wilder is not as ambitious as Animal House, but can be ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at The Movie Insider (Kyle Smith)
Citysearch (Michael Phillips)
For each chuckle there are at least 10 complete misses, many coming from the amazingly lifelike Tara Reid, whose acting skills are comparable to a cardboard cutout. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Citysearch (Michael Phillips)
Boxoffice Magazine (Tim Cogshell)
This a movie wherein Tara Reid plays the 'smart girl' -- that alone has got to be worth the price of a ticket. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Tim Cogshell)
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Compare it to the recent Cameron Diaz-starring disaster The Sweetest Thing and you'll reckon it deserves an Oscar. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
When it comes to collegiate humor, nobody goes lowbrow like our friends at the Lampoon. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Steve Simels)
While not for every taste, this often very funny collegiate gross-out comedy goes a long way toward restoring the luster of the National Lampoon film franchise, too long reduced to direct-to-video irrelevancy. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Steve Simels)
Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
You'll likely hate yourself for laughing, but laugh you will. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
Dallas Morning News (Gary Dowell)
The only thing keeping it from being a complete waste of time is the charismatic performance of Mr. Reynolds. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Dallas Morning News (Gary Dowell)
Steve Rhodes
It's no job at the local pizza parlor for Van. With his Tony Robbins persona, Van figures out entrepreneurial ways to generate cash. His first and funniest scheme is to hire out busty young women to be "topless tutors." With the answers written like ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Steve Rhodes
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
National Lampoon's Van Wilder is yet another comedy that isn't all that funny. It's packed with hundreds of so-called jokes, but few of them are able to elicit anything other than groans. Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is the big man on campus at his ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
ToxicUniverse.com (John Beachem)
Again, it could all just be me. Maybe I’ve outgrown National Lampoon. Or maybe National Lampoon has just outlived its usefulness. Van Wilder runs 92 minutes, which is about an hour and a half too long. Don’t bother staying around for ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (John Beachem)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
For the purposes of this review, I chose to watch the unrated version of National Lampoon's Van Wilder because it's probably the version most people will opt to watch now that it's on video. Boy, did I make a mistake. I've seen quite a bit of toilet humo ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
CinemaZone.dk
Efter American Pie-filmene er ungdomsfilmene begyndt at se lidt anderledes ud end de gjorde for bare et årti siden, hvor én af denne anmelders favoritkomedier så lyset. Året var 1994 og filmen var Hart Bochners college-komedie PCU der havde en ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at CinemaZone.dk
Kansas City Star (Dan Lybarger)
Once upon a time, anything associated with the name "National Lampoon" generated as many chuckles as a can of nitrous oxide. Now the effect is more like a laxative. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Kansas City Star (Dan Lybarger)
Miami Herald (Charles Savage)
The problem is not that it's all derivative, because plenty of funny movies recycle old tropes. The problem is that Van Wilder does little that is actually funny with the material. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Miami Herald (Charles Savage)
Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
I found Van Wilder to be a largely detestable experience. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
This is the kind of movie that Bluto, Otter, and the Delta House boys would have trashed a theater for showing. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Smug and dumb as they come, it's a series of eruptive gross-out sketches tenuously linked by a romance plot. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Occasionally a joke hits its target, but that can be explained by the law of averages. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)
Van Wilder has a built-in audience, but only among those who are drying out from spring break and are still unconcerned about what they ingest. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)
Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
National Lampoon, the people who brought us such gems as Animal House and Vacation, try to make a film that will click for a new generation of party animals. Well, they succeeded in making a film. I'll credit them that much. National Lampoon's Van ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
ViewLondon (Brian Walker)
When I first saw the title for this movie I assumed that it had something to do with a party in a van. As things turned out, that might have made for a more interesting movie than proved to be the case.Perennial StudentThe eponymous Van (Ryan Reynolds) ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at ViewLondon (Brian Walker)
filmcritic.com (Blake French)
It’s sad that visual jokes about male bodily fluids no longer shock audiences. Now, for films to surprise us, they must include jokes about the fluids of other animals. Van Wilder, the latest installment in the never-ending National Lampoon ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at filmcritic.com (Blake French)
Reel Movie Critic (Cathy Edsey Collins)
From the get-go we are shown the story's so-called hero enjoying oral sex from an older Asian woman. As the double entendres fly, it becomes obvious that the woman is a seamstress repairing his zipper and sucking a lollipop at the same time. Yuck, yuck. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Reel Movie Critic (Cathy Edsey Collins)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
ToxicUniverse.com (Lee Chase IV)
Comedy is on a rapid decline, and Van Wilder moves it into hyperdrive. There is not a single moment of inspiration here. Yes, I chuckled a few times and Tara Reid proved to be good eye candy, but overall, this movie is unforgivable ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Lee Chase IV)
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
Every gag feels forced and uninspired, every plot turn formulaic. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Watching "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," I grew nostalgic for the lost innocence of a movie like "American Pie," in which human semen found itself in a pie. In "NatLampVW," dog semen is ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
Imagine Animal House with the unfunny Chevy Chase in the lead, instead of either Matheson, John Belushi or Tom Hulce, and you've pretty much nailed the biggest problem with this evil incarnation. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
The persons who keep attempting to make the National Lampoon movies funny seem to be confused about the difference between gross-out comedy and inventive gross-out comedy. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
This movie, a certain scene in particular, brought me uncomfortably close to losing my lunch. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
New York Times (Dave Kehr)
What's lacking is the sense of structure that might have made Van Wilder more than a meandering succession of random gags. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at New York Times (Dave Kehr)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Witness the rest of the depravity, aimed at shocking an audience that, for heaven's sake, really can't be shocked anymore. We've seen every part of the human body, internal and external, be used for everything it can possibly be used for. All the ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Moda Magazine (Brian Orndorf)
So what does work in "Van Wilder?" Well, Van himself, Ryan Reynolds. Known for his role on the ABC sitcom "Two Guys And A Girl," Reynolds is making his lead debut here in "Van Wilder," and he barely escapes Becker’s ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Moda Magazine (Brian Orndorf)
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
For those of you who are easily shocked, you may not want to read my next comment. "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," the latest in an ever-growing string of teen gross-out comedies that constantly attempt to one-up previous efforts with vast amounts of ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at MovieEye.com (David Litton)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
It's been so long since Animal House and the heyday of the Vacation movies that one wonders if the National Lampoon name still holds any sort of cinema cachet. Regardless, the return appearance of the legendary humor magazine's name in a theatrical ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Screen It! (Jim Judy)
While I realize the film isn't aspiring to be anything more than a dumb and/or raucous comedy, there's good/smart dumb and lame/stupid dumb. This effort clearly falls into the latter category. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Screen It! (Jim Judy)
Entertainment Zone Review
Well, if for some strange reason you haven’t gotten enough college antics and humor, then “Nation Lampoon’s Van Wilder†is definitely for you. This juvenile “comedy†seems to be yet another excuse to use disgusting jokes and adolescent ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Entertainment Zone Review
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Sue Pierman)
Van Wilder brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'comedy gag.' At least one scene is so disgusting that viewers may be hard pressed to retain their lunch. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Sue Pierman)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
"Van Wilder" is fairly smoothly made; it doesn't have the shabby look of "Slackers," for instance. But technical polish can't make up for a less-than-lovable protagonist, a colorless romance and a nearly unremitting stream ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
They take a mundane story and give it emotional resonance. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
It would take more time to list all of the things that were awful about this odious movie than it would be to watch it again. I'd rather not do either one. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
It's a tasteless, tacky movie full of cheap T&A. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
If you have something better to do, like re-grout the shower tiles, opt for the grout. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Even Vegas Vacation was wise enough to distance itself from the humorists responsible for such comedy landmarks as Loaded Weapon 1, Senior Trip and Golf Punks. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Full of gross-out humor that is definitely disgusting but not at all that humorous. ...read the complete Van Wilder movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
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