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We don’t need no education.” Lyrics from Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” seem to sum up Universal’s new film “Accepted.” The film opened nation wide Aug. 18 with a formulaic script and dragging pace. “Accepted” isn’t new or refreshing, but it is entertaining. Steve Pink, screenwriter of 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank and 2000’s High Fidelity tries his first directing gig with the college comedy “Accepted”. Pink, a comedic actor, directs the film to be similar to “Animal House” and “Old School”, but fails to capture the magic of both films. The film pokes fun at the educational system with a cast of both up and coming and seasoned talent that includes Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Lewis Black and Anthony Heald. If the cast were thrown together like most films hitting theaters ‘Accepted’ wouldv’e received a failing grade. The teen flick is about a high school grad, Bartleby ‘B’ Gaines, (Justin Long, known for his spot in MAC ads) is rejected by every college he applies to. ‘B’s parents add that not attending college will result in a fruitless future. Luckily, most of ‘B’s friends are in the same predicament and they soon create a college of their own with no faculty, except for Uncle Ben (Black) as the dean. The film is a watered down version of many of its predecessors, but demonstrates genuine emotion and has some hilarious moments. However, the laughs are few and far in between. The film does leave out most of the tits and ass that’s seen in today’s films, opting to focus on relationships between people. “Accepted” is as predictable as they come, especially with it’s message of following your dreams and not settling for someone’s version of reality. Although you’ve probably seen this film before under another title, it’s a great start to a new semester.
