Plot: What’s it about?
John (Jason Lee) has a good life. Not a great life, but a good one and one that is about to become better, or so it seems. After years of saving, he finally has thirty-thousand dollars in the bank, the amount his fiance demanded be on record before their marriage. That way, they could put a sizable down payment on a house, start a family, and begin the kind of life people dream of, or at least some folks do. John loves his gorgeous fiance Elaine (Leslie Mann), who is a sweet and loving woman, save for the fact that she weeps during sex. Speaking of sex, John works for Elaine’s father Mr. Warner (Dennis Farina), who owns a company that sells medical products for home uses, known as Homespital. That wouldn’t be bad, except that Mr. Warner is always grilling John about his sex life, to which John always lies and claims no sex has taken place. In other words, not a perfect life, but John likes it and is excited about taking it to the next level. But then a casual comment from years ago comes back to haunt him, when his loose sister invites him over for some news. It seems his niece has overcome her trailer trash genetics and even gotten into Harvard, which John promises to pay for when she was a child. This means he needs to come up with almost thirty-thousand dollars for her college, as well as keep the thirty-thousand for his new life. Even with the help of his friend Duff (Tom Green), can John make crime pay enough to cover tuition?
As I watched Stealing Harvard, I kept thinking about how Jason Lee must have thought this was a dramatic picture, instead of a dumb comedic one. That’s because he plays the part so straight, the even the decent jokes seem flat, as the role called for a wilder, more risk taking kind of performer instead. As if that matters however, as the effective jokes are a rare breed in this movie, which seems content to give us mild laughs at best. This movie never would have been a smash sensation, but with some casting changes and a polish on the jokes, it could have been better than this. It has some scenes meant to shock us into laughter, such as the fetish crime sequence, but it seems passe in Stealing Harvard. The movies that use shock tactics often do so in outlandish fashion, not the laid back, by the numbers method used here. So in the right hands, in front of and behind the camera, this might have been passable, but as it stands, this is just another lame comedy that hopes to survive on name appeal and little else. Yes, Lee now has some fame and Tom Green is still a draw with some audiences, but neither seems too dedicated to the material, as even Green is restrained, even in moments that demand insanity. So unless you’re out of rental options and desperate, I’d recommend leaving Stealing Harvard on the shelf.
A former skateboard wizard, Jason Lee turned to the big screen and he’s even found some solid success. He has a sort of common man texture to him, one which allows him to be goofy or cynical, but also remain likable. Its hard to take him serious however, which sort of limits his work to the comedic realm. Even so, he has made some terrific movies and turned in some enjoyable roles, though this isn’t one of them. No, Lee seems to have no interest in this material and appears to be going through the motions. This kind of role needs someone who can throw themselves into the jokes, as the gags aren’t that good, so an outlandish performer might be able to milk a few more laughs from this stone. But then again, he has to have a more reality based side and that’s the catch, as Lee tries too hard to be normal in Stealing Harvard. We can buy him as an outrageous guy with a soft side, but he plays this role all soft, which is a let down. Other films with Lee include Mallrats, Almost Famous, Mumford, Heartbreakers, and Drawing Flies. The cast also includes Tom Green (Freddy Got Fingered, Charlie’s Angels), Leslie Mann (George of the Jungle, Big Daddy), and Dennis Farina (Manhunter, Reindeer Games).
Video: How does it look?
Stealing Harvard is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The image is very sharp and clean, which provides a lot of detail and allows the film’s colorful visuals to shine. The colors look rich and bold at all times, with no bleeds or other errors and flesh tones seem natural in most scenes. I did notice a slight red tinge in the flesh tones at times, but nothing serious The black levels appear well balanced also, which opens up the detail and lets the colors stream across the screen. No compression problems surface either and the print seems very clean, another terrific transfer from Columbia/Tristar.
Audio: How does it sound?
As per usual with these lowbrow comedies, the main audio power comes from the musical soundtrack. The soundtrack comes off very well here and adds some much needed depth to the experience. The rest of the audio is more subtle though, which means the material is never forced into the surrounds. The sound effects come across in fine form, while the dialogue is crisp and at a proper volume at all times. You’ll note some surround presence in a few scenes, like the break-ins, but this is a pretty reserved 5.1 soundtrack. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some deleted scenes (including an alternate ending), a selection of talent files, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
