College is predictable, but darn it, this loosey-goosey college comedy delivers the laughs, and in a smoother style than traditionally befits the genre.

Story: This was no college like I ever attended! Take three typical high-school seniors--the nerd (Kevin Covais), the good-looking Regular Guy (Drake Bell) and the hell-for-leather, go-for-broke Horny Fat Guy (Andy Caldwell)--and let them loose during freshman orientation at fictional Fieldmont University. Just add beer, marijuana and wild sex, and you've got what may well be a new Frat House Classic, one that adheres studiously to the tenets of the teen-comedy genre, which also includes defying authority and destruction of public property. When it comes to the so-called "guilty pleasures" of 2008, this makes the Dean's List. Like any good college hangover, you'll hate yourself in the morning--but you'll still be laughing.

Acting: Credit an enthusiastic cast and a refreshing (but quite appropriate) disregard for the rules. Drake Bell (of Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh fame), who looks far too old to be contemplating a college career, is ostensibly the leading man here. Yet, the principal selling point of the film is the onscreen camaraderie between he and co-stars Caldwell, who plays it full-tilt a la John Belushi and Chris Farley (and that is meant as a compliment), but holds back enough when the ensemble demands require, and Covais, who all but steals the film with a smart, shrewd take on the big-screen geek. A good deal of the film's energy can be traced directly to them. The whole show is the three boys, and they have a great, easy rapport that transcends many of the worst trappings of a film like this. They feel like friends, and that goes a very long way in a film that, in some ways, doesn't deserve so rich an effort, but benefits from it nonetheless.

Direction: College marks the feature debut of director Deb Hagan, who manages at times to give the film a fresh visual perspective while maintaining a relaxed but steady momentum. College is neither original nor good, but it is enjoyable (far more so than would be expected) and it is fast-paced. It also delivers exactly what it promises. If it's bang for the buck you want, it's bang for the buck you got when you enroll in College.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.-Mark Burger

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