Orange County (2002)

Too much of everything

Simply Perfect

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

An endlessly funny, fully realized universe that subverts its subjects and setting, all while clearly loving them. Almost like they were making a satire of turn-of-the-century teen life without denying its power ("Butterfly"). It has surprisingly strong things to say about idolizing your dreams, under appreciating what you have, and realizing the love you have for the family and friends who drive you crazy. An underappreciated and ahead-of-its-time teen comedy.

The reason I think this movie tends to be under-rated is because of the title and the fact that slacker surfing culture is the sub-strata of the story.Orange County could have been better (and perhaps taken more seriously) if the character of Shaun Brumder had been developed more fully: 1.) Why did he acquire an attraction, nay obsession, with writing? 2.) What fueled and motivated him? 3.) Just what kind of story was Orange County (auto-biography? fiction based on a true story?, something else)?The fact that Shaun's character is not fully-developed is revealed most immediately during the important and excellent scene with him and Mr. Skinner (Kevin Klein). Mr. Skinner describes what he sees as the "lesson" or "moral" of Shaun's story and asks, "Is that what you were aiming for?" Shaun looks at him somewhat blankly and doesn't know how to respond.Besides the fleshing-out of what makes Shaun tick, another positive alteration in the script and direction would have been to have given Schuyler Fisk (as girlfriend Ashley) a larger part, allowing her to interact intimately, meaningfully and intensely with Shaun, forcing him to identify those things and people in life that mean the most to him. Fisk's acting ability is definitely equal to the task.I laughed out loud at least six times during this movie: My loudest coming when a single phrase was uttered by Shaun's surfer friend as he sees a towering, mammoth wave curling over him, ready to crash, and ultimately, kill him.Don't get me wrong: Although I think Orange County could have been better by writing a more in-depth character around Shaun, it is still a well-acted, cohesive, seamless comedy that compels us to think twice about our ambitions and how they may conflict with the relationships we have established and should honor more.Jack Black is as funny as ever. Kevin Klein's character is potent and profound enough to base a sequel on, perhaps, as Shaun is in the midst of his writing career (and Mr. Skinner has "writer's block").The inclusion of the character "Bob" in Orange County, I take exception to. His character showed the only real "black" humor in the movie and I consider his part a show of triteness and viciousness on the part of the screenwriter. These kinds of "relationships" do happen, though; an attractive lady marrying an old man for his wealth.., but it disturbed me none-the-less.John Lithgow, as Shaun's father, was commanding and superbly-casted. Catherine O'Hara, as Shaun's mom, did a spectacular job as a sometimes-functional human being.If the characters in Orange County lacked a sense of sobriety and searing self-honesty most of the time, there was some rectification by the solidifying, coalescing, grounding scene between Shaun and Prof. Skinner. Maybe more importantly, Skinner compels Shaun to make the right decision in his life, a hard one at that: To admit that everything he needs is already inside of him. In just a few short words, Shaun gets the education he had so-dearly sought. A thoughtful and potential ending. Make no mistake. This is not a "surfing hijinx" movie.

Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks) is an abnormally bright child. A kid whose schoolwork comes naturally to him and grades were never something to sweat over. But instead of trying to lead an ambitious life, Shaun chooses to spend his days surfing and hanging out with his pals. But when his best friend Lonny is killed in a surfing accident, Shaun contemplates if this direction is the best one to pursue. He later discovers a novel, written by a man named Marcus Skinner, on the beach one day, reads it cover to cover, and loves every minute of it. Upon reading it a dozen more times, and practicing writing similar stories on his own, he realizes that he has a talent for writing and ultimately that's what he wants to become.Shaun's homelife is a rather strange one. His parents are divorced, with his mother (Catherine O'Hara) being a sensitive, needy woman and his father (John Lithgow) a selfish and unruly cad. Shaun's brother is Lance (Jack Black), a portly stoner who is rarely seen fully clothed. Lance continues to offer advice to Shaun, which he will inherently disregard as rambling with no meaning, yet this isn't one of those stories where the dopey character may actually be smarter than we believe. He's just dumb.Our hero's dream, however, is to get accepted to Stanford and major in journalism. His girlfriend, the neighborhood activist Ashley (Schuyler Fisk) is all support, but his chances seemingly plummet downward when his guidance counselor sends the wrong transcript to Stanford. Instead of the bright and dedicated student they should receive, the school accepts some ne'er-do-well stoner who applied on a whim.Orange County follows Shaun as he tries in every which way to get accepted to Stanford and pursue a life of intellect and creativity. One thing that becomes the top priority on his list is escaping the inherently listless and seemingly mundane town of Orange County, where nobody takes anything with an ounce of seriousness and everyone seems to be self-indulgent and careless.This is a film with a big agenda, a clear heart, but an often misunderstood soul, mainly because its headliner, Jack Black, doesn't deliver the laughs you would expect. Orange County is not an energetic, high-octane romp, but a sweet and endearing character study that is equal parts sly comedy and equal parts dramatic and deep. A scene comes early on in the film where Shaun is wasting away in a class and his teacher is asking the students if they know anyone who would be interested in speaking to the school about personal experiences. Shaun proposes a writer who has just received a high honor, but is quickly one-upped by another classmate who has connections to Brittney Spears. This scene illustrates so discretely and subtly how motivated and turned on we get as a society by popularity and publicity rather than true talent and admiration.Colin Hanks, an actor still searching for that breakout role, handles the task here beautifully, even with the challenge and notable burden of carrying a lion's weight of a film on his back. He's no idiot. His character rarely misses a beat and is a calming and simple pleasure to endure. So is his brother, despite his slow, uninspiring persona. Orange County has an indescribable beauty and charm to its screenplay, one that offers an experience that is fresh and viable, and definitely unconventional.Starring: Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Schuyler Fisk, Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, and Lily Tomlin. Directed by: Jake Kasdan.

'Orange County' is A Fair Entertainer, that offers some genuine laughs in the goings-on. Also, the performances, by all the actors, are perfect. 'Orange County' Synopsis: A guidance counselor mistakenly sends out the wrong transcripts to Stanford University under the name of an over- achieving high schooler.Mike White's Screenplay is Funny in parts. But, I felt, the culmination of this comedy seemed uneven. It's very clichéd and hardly leaves any impact. Jake Kasdan's Direction is passable. Cinematography is good. Editing is average. Performance-Wise: Colin Hanks delivers a very natural performance. Jack Black is excellent as his good-for-nothing brother. Catherine O'Hara & John Lithgow are efficient. Schuyler Fisk is sincere. Kevin Kline, Chevy Chase & Ben Stiller appear in brief cameos. On the whole, A Fair Comedy.