A high school slacker is rejected by every college he applied to,
​so he creates his own fake college to get his parents off his back.

COMEDY

Accepted (2006)

Directed by Steve Pink

Written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Mark Perez

Starring Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Columbus Short, Lewis Black, Maria Thayer, Adam Herschman, Travis Van Winkle, Anthony Heald, Mark Derwin, Ann Cusack

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Connor Eyzaguirre

June 21, 2022

8/10

Accepted is an underrated, hilarious comedy that has the balls to reveal some harsh truths about college. "Money talks, bullshit walks" has been the true motto of every college in America for generations, and this film highlights the absurdity of higher education and how, for some people, it's simply not an option. The film also shows an alternative in Bartleby's (Long) fake college turned real, South Hampton Institute of Technology. I gotta say, I wish I'd gone to a college that embraced creativity and encouraged out of the box thinking, It looks fun and simplified. But no, college is just one of those things that will never change for the better or the cheaper. But we still get movies like this that mock them to death.

Bartleby Gaines is a slacker. He's a goofball who doesn't take life seriously (at 17, who the hell does?) and his parents clearly don't like him. It's pretty sad, actually. He fails to get into college, so in order to get his parents off his back, and possibly earn their respect, he creates the South Hampton Institute of Technology, a fake school that he creates out of an abandoned mental hospital and a great website. Unfortunately, that website was functional, and thousands of other social outcasts and rejects show up for an unconventional education. Now, Bartleby's prank has evolved into a higher responsibility, and he must do right by these kids. I really like this movie. It's just the right amount of comedy and societal critique. Plus, I always love watching Lewis Black spout conspiracy theories to morons.

Accepted isn't often listed among the best 2000's comedies, but it should be. The characters are endearing, the story is entertaining, and the message is loud and clear. Life should be lived your way, no one else's. Whether that's a prestigious college or learning how to blow shit up with your mind, it's all subjective.