Dead Man on Campus (1998)

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Dead Man on Campus (1998): Dir: Alan Cohn / Cast: Tom Everett Scott, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Poppy Montgomery, Lochlyn Monro, Alyson Hannigan: Rotten comedy about two college students who are potentially dead men. Tom Everett Scott stars as a would-be scholar and his roommate Mark-Paul Gosselaar is a slacker who never studies and skips classes. His father threatens to have him cleaning toilets if he fails. After a fatal night out Scott's grades drop so far that he needs an A+ in every subject. They discover that if a roommate commits suicide that they are given high grades. They target several victims for this nonsense including a psychotic, a paranoia, and a musician who wrote a song called "Sperm." Twist ending has these two morons getting away with crime. Director Alan Cahn fares well and can certainly handle better material than this, but Scott and Gosselaar are unlikable leaving little to root for. Poppy Montgomery plays the standard girlfriend who is there for potential sexual purposes and little else. Lochlyn Monro appears as a guy named Cliff and that pretty much sums up his contribution. Alyson Hannigan appears in an early role before she reaches her destination at band camp. This film earns a big black mark for its methods of using suicide in a loose manner that propels no humour whatsoever. Laugh-less vulgar insult that should flunk the screenwriter out of work. Score: 4 / 10

This movie had a very good storyline. It was just executed poorly. The actors were OK, but I thought Gosselaar was kind of annoying. The funniest part was one of the mental guys they brought in who thought Bill Gates was trying to kill him. He was pretty funny, but they didn't have him in a lot of scenes. I didn't think it was close to Animal House, but then again, it is just my opinion. I thought the ending was pretty clever and kind of funny. That's about it for me though. I won't say it's overrated like many other people, because it's just my point of view, someone else might think this is the best movie ever. I wish they would have executed it a little bit better, it may have turned out kind of like Superbad. As I said, the plot was very good. Just some better dialogue, and maybe different actors. It would be kind of cool to see something like a remake. But that usually only happens with famous movies. Anyways, pretty boring.3/10.

Anyone tempted to look down their nose at the plot which trivializes collegiate suicide will not be able to overlook one important fact: This is still a very funny film. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott play two college kids who spend too much time partying and suddenly need perfect grades to stay in school. Scott is a financially challenged student who came on an academic scholarship. Anything less than a B+ and he can kiss that scholarship goodbye. Gosselaar is a spoiled, rich party animal whose father threatens to cut him off and force him to clean toilets if he flunks out. After bombing their mid-terms, the boys need a miracle. A local in a bar tells them of a loophole in the school charter that will award anyone straight A's if their roommate dies. Since they have a spare bed now that their other roommate is always at his girlfriend's place, they decide to move in any potentially suicidal student and hope he dies. Maybe even help him do it if need be. Any hair-brained scheme like that is bound to lead to all sorts of complications, and it certainly does here. Most of them are absolutely hilarious.The film has several funny moments and decent performances. Mark-Paul Gosselaar has always been a dependable TV actor, and he provides several laughs as Coop. Most of them involve him disturbing his more serious roommate who is always trying to study. Tom Everett Scott plays the straight man Josh. He was supposed to be the next Tom Hanks back in the 1990s. This has yet to happen, but he is likable and continues to work regularly in television. The chemistry and timing is usually right on the spot between the two. Probably the next best thing about the film is the would-be depressed British rocker they move into their suite because he seems suicidal. It turns out this guy is the epitome of the word "poser". Lochlyn Munro has some funny bits, but he might have been a little too much. Remember that John Belushi was not on the screen as much in Animal House, and that actually made him funnier. Sometimes less really is more.There is one hell of a lot of dope smoking and drinking in this film, but that's what college is all about for some people. Coop has a bong about as tall as he is. The film tries to redeem the two main characters in the final ten minutes by giving them a serious situation to deal with. Do they redeem themselves? Well yes and no. Well, actually no. You'll have to decide for yourself. If anyone tries to tell you this movie isn't funny, don't listen. It IS funny. A gem from the previous decade all but forgotten. 7 of 10 stars.The Hound.

This comedy is fun. It's not meant to education; it's meant to entertain. Mark Paul Gosselaar shines as a comedic actor, and his talents were further evidenced after he was an NYPD Blue addition (a HUGE contrast from DMOC, obviously.) The premise is unique, and the acting was good. Yes, it may lag a bit in the 2nd act and the writing can become a tad labored, but nonetheless, this is a totally fun movie with great performances and hijinx. If you have not seen it, get a group of friends together who actually have a sense of humor, get some good eats, and have a blast.