Taglines: If you’re going for an advanced degree in partying…Why graduate?
In certain circles, Van Wilder is a living legend at Coolidge College, where he’s been a student now for seven years, not yet having completed his degree requirements. Despite being bright, he never attends classes anymore, instead hosting parties, imparting his brand of wisdom to his adoring fans, hosting school organization fundraisers, and rallying the college spirit among the student body.
Conversely, Van loves his Coolidge life. In his antics, he has a 2ic in Hutch, and always hires a personal assistant, this year’s being a South Asian transfer student named Taj, who wants to learn from the best, namely Van. Van’s college life is threatened when his wealthy neglectful father only now learns that Van is still in school, Wilder Sr. who has been paying his way all this time.
As such, Wilder Sr. pulls the plug on that subsidy, meaning that Van has to figure out a way to pay for his Coolidge life. Because of his living legend status, Van becomes the subject of a series of articles by the college paper’s star reporter, Gwen Pearson, an assignment she would rather not do, preferring harder hitting material.
However, in Gwen needing to spend time with Van, Richard Bagg, Gwen’s arrogant fraternity president pre-med boyfriend, tries to place Van in a bad light time and time again, believing that Gwen and Van are falling for each other. Also in spending time with Gwen, Van may come to a true understanding of why he has stayed at Coolidge for such a long time, and what he should be looking for in his future.
Van Wilder: Party Liaison) is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Walt Becker and written by Brent Goldberg and David T. Wagner. This movie was said to be inspired by the real life experiences of Bert Kreischer while he attended Florida State University. National Lampoon’s Van Wilder stars Ryan Reynolds as the title character alongside Tara Reid, Kal Penn, and Tim Matheson. A sequel, Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj, was released on December 1, 2006. A prequel, Van Wilder: Freshman Year, was released straight-to-DVD on July 14, 2009.
Van Wilder: Party Liaison (2002)
Directed by: Walt Becker
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Tim Matheson, Kal Penn, Teck Holmes, Daniel Cosgrove, Deon Richmond, Emily Rutherfurd, Erik Estrada, Paul Gleason
Screenplay by: Brent Goldberg, David T. Wagner
Production Design by: Rachel Kamerman
Cinematography by: James R. Bagdonas
Film Editing by: Dennis M. Hill
Costume Design by: Alexis Scott
Set Decoration by: Suzan Katcher, Jill McGraw
Art Direction by: William J. Durrell Jr.
Music by: David Lawrence
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, gross humor, language and some drug content.
Distributed by: Artisan Entertainment
Release Date: April 5, 2002
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