Seen: March 27th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 4
I like Ryan Reynolds. He's pretty funny. I like Kal Penn. He's funny too and actually has some acting talent. Van Wilder was mildly amusing. This one ain't.
The problem here is that The Rise of Taj is a re-tread. So was Van Wilder, but at least they knew it and made an effort to go over the top on occasion to keep it interesting. What we've got here is a class-struggle allegory mashed up with a cross-class romance mashed up with a dedicated teacher with challenging students scenario, all set in a university T&A flick.
As you can imagine, it's a mess.
The talent here is generally OK. There's some truly bad performances, and a few that are horrific, but I'm thinking that many of these may be due to directorial choices, as opposed actual lack of talent. There are some decent actors here, both character and supporting. That said, the talent here is absolutely C to D list with the exception of Penn.
The fundamental problem here is the script. It tried to be too many things.
It skirts several controversial areas without having the temerity to actually cross the line. It's like a 3rd grader who keeps putting his toe over a boundary he's not supposed to cross, but won't actually rebel and step over, cross his arms and stare you down. There's a consistent air of apologetic politically correct awareness. This lack of commitment ultimately rings hollow and sabotages the entire affair.
This same lack of commitment also undermines the all the "soft" stories in the piece as well. They degenerate into pure sap when portrayed by characters that won't go all out in other areas.
This was a whim. I was in the mood for some mindless crude humor. What I got was some allegorical moral mish-mash that collapses under its own sincerity.
The ultimate moral? Beware sequels of low-brow films.
The Good: Dirty Cockney Girl
The Bad: Harry Potter lookalike
The Ugly: Bludgeoning a nubile coed
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