Colin's Juicy New Role

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Imagine, for a moment, that magical day four (or three, or two…) years ago when the letter arrived in the mail proclaiming your acceptance to this wonderful academic institution. Remember the joy? The feeling that a dream had just been realized? The vindication of years of hard work? The pity for the poor classmate that got into Yale?

Now imagine that the envelope you received wasn’t quite so thick. Heck, imagine that all it contained was a single letter, beginning with those oh-so-dreaded words: “We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you a place in the Harvard College Class of blah blah blah...” You’ve just been rejected! Now change the school to Stanford, change your name to Shaun, videotape the whole ordeal and BAM! You’ve got yourself a pivotal scene from Orange County, the new teen comedy from our friends at MTV Pictures. The film stars Colin Hanks (yes, that Hanks) as Shaun Brumder, a high school senior who desperately wants to attend Stanford University, only to have his dreams crushed by a guidance counselor’s ineptitude. Sound like typical teen fluff to you? It certainly did to me. But then again, it’s almost never a good idea to judge a movie by its premise—especially if you know nothing else going in. Naturally, I never follow my own advice, so I went in expecting crap.

Surprisingly, Orange County surpassed all of my expectations and turned out to be far more substantive than its teenybopper contemporaries. The story was considerably more interesting than the one-line synopsis indicated, with distinctly drawn characters that deal with real issues in a funny—but not overly outrageous—way. And hey, it even had an honest, feel-good message that didn’t reek of cheese. So if you’re looking for Varsity Blues-type drivel, apply elsewhere.

Shaun is a proverbial fish out of water. A talented and aspiring writer, he feels suffocated by the insanity of his family life and the monotony of his surroundings. Desperate to escape from Orange County, Shaun begins searching for the answers, which he finds in the form of an epiphany-inducing book buried in the sands of the local beach. The book inspires Shaun to take action, and he dedicates himself to getting into Stanford, where Marcus Skinner, the author of the book and his newfound idol, is a professor. Given his impeccable academic record, his acceptance is a sure bet. But thanks to the bumblings of his absent-minded guidance counselor, the wrong transcript gets mailed to the prestigious university, and Shaun tastes the bitterness of rejection. Not one to concede without a fight, he resolves to do whatever it takes to get himself into the school of his dreams.

Thus begins a hilarity-filled odyssey that takes the audience on a ride from Orange County to Stanford University, with a few sentimental pitstops along the way. Along with an incredibly funny screenplay by Mike White (the cutting-edge scribe of the critically-acclaimed independent film Chuck & Buck), the film boasts an all-star cast, filled to the brim with comedic heavyweights. Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) plays Shaun’s emotional unstable and marginally alcoholic mother; John Lithgow (Terms of Endearment) plays Shaun’s disapproving and unaffectionate father; and Lily Tomlin (Tea With Mussolini) plays the incompetent guidance counselor. And these are just a few of the esteemed names that grace the supporting cast. Jack Black (Shallow Hal) is an absolute riot as Lance, Shaun’s deadbeat but caring brother, and Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters) gives a memorable performance as the Stanford admissions officer who has an accidental run-in with a dose of ecstasy.

For the film’s youthful leads, director Jake Kasdan—himself an up-and-coming talent with the popular film Zero Effect to his credit—cast the talented duo of Hanks (Get Over It) and Fisk (Snow Day), a pair of rising stars with superb Hollywood pedigrees. After all, Colin is the son of Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, and Schuyler is the daughter of Academy Award-winner Sissy Spacek. Fisk has no trouble stepping into the role of Ashley, Shaun’s sweet-faced and sympathetic girlfriend, and Hanks successfully anchors the diverse cast with his convincing portrayal of the likable Shaun. The audience can’t help but care about the kind-hearted idealist who pursues his dreams with reckless abandon. He seems real, because his goals and his problems seem real. What distinguishes this movie from its contemporaries in the teen market is the presence of genuine emotion. We can relate to Shaun’s desire to leave home and expand his creative horizons, much more than we can relate to a kid who has sexual intercourse with a pie.

A comedy needs humor, of course, and Orange County has its fair share of gags, from a humping dog to Lance’s half-naked cartwheels. But in the end, the message transcends the jokes, and Shaun gets more than he bargained for on his trip to Stanford. By going away, he learns to appreciate the value of home. He begins to see past the craziness of his family and understand that their love is sincere, and he finally realizes that inspiration can come from the most familiar of places. The film has a message, and it’s a good one. Orange County aims much higher than the vast majority of typical teen fare, and it actually succeeds in hitting the mark. For that, I’ll give it an A for effort, and an A+ for originality. A bit generous? Maybe. But I’ve always been a fan of grade inflation.