National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006)

Kal Penn
Shobu Kapoor
Dan Percival
Holly Davidson
Anthony Cozens

Directed by Mort Nathan

Plot: Taj Badalandabad, the personal assistant to the legendary Van Wilder, has just graduated Coolidge College and is now on his way to England's Camford University. Taj is on a quest to follow in the footsteps of his father's legend as a ladies' man at Camford, beginning with membership to an exclusive campus Fraternal Guild, the Fox and Hounds. But when Taj arrives at the venerated campus, he quickly discovers he has not been accepted to the Fraternal Guild, and that the stuffy head of the Fox and Hounds--Pip Everett, the Earl of Grey--is, in fact, a wanker. Taj seeks out the only housing available on campus and finds himself suddenly "Head of House" for a group of student misfits. Taj decides to take on the challenge before him--not only will he transform the band of misfits into Big Men (and Woman) on Campus, he will give the Fox and Hounds and Pip a run for their money.

Review: I thought the first Van Wilder was great. Ryan Reynolds carried that movie brilliantly. I get worried when they make sequels to movies like this that don’t need it. This movie was no exception. I understand why they made it, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

Kal Penn is really coming into his own as a great actor. With appearances on TV’s 24, Superman Returns, and the hit Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I was glad to see him get a chance to headline another movie. Too bad it was this one. The movie has some very funny moments, but not enough to save it. Kal Penn is excellent in it, he pops out the one-liners that would have made Ryan Reynolds proud, but the movie itself is just bad. Most of the supporting cast is bad and the story itself reminds me of most of the rehashed straight to DVD American Pie films. Overall I laughed, but spent more time crying that I watched this movie at all.


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