Orange County

reviewed by Dave

Orange County is the first (and hopefully last) Colin Hanks vehicle. It also happens to be one of the most boring, unfocused, unfunny comedies I've seen in a long time.

There are big problems here. For starters, you have to take a look at who is in this movie, because not since Mars Attacks has a cast this potentially decent been so completely wasted.

Present for this snoozefest is a huge list of funny people: Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, Lily Tomlin, Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, Kevin Kline, Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Yet who stars in this movie? Colin Hanks.

If you aren't familiar with Colin Hanks, it's probably because you haven't seen his bit part in That Thing You Do or his appearance in Band of Brothers. That's about the extent of his work, so why would he get his own movie when, quite frankly, he's not that good? Well, it's probably the same reason he was in the aforementioned movie and TV show: Tom Hanks is his dad.

I honestly can't think of any other reason Colin Hanks would get his own picture. Is Tom Hanks such a god in Hollywood that this cast of talented actors and comedians would willingly play second fiddle to a B-movie actor? Yes, apparently he is.

There's an old adage that the best way to make yourself look good is to surround yourself with people who look good, and apparently that's the theory that was applied to the casting of Orange County. But what somebody failed to realize was that when you hold up a piece of crap next to handful of diamonds, the crap just looks crappier. Such is Colin Hanks and the actors who play his friends and girlfriend. They can't hold a candle to the veteran actors playing the parents and teachers in Orange County.

Beyond the bizarre casting that has the bad actors starring and the good actors in supporting and cameo roles, confusion is at the very heart of this flick. What exactly is this movie trying to be? Is Orange County a gross-out teen druggie comedy? Is it a farcical parody? Is it a coming of age drama about someone finding himself? Um…I don't really know, and neither does the movie.

Orange County starts off with Jack Black throwing up. (By the way, I think Jack Black can be very funny, but this movie wastes him.) Okay, it's a gross-out teen comedy. But then there are some scenes set in a high school that play as parody scenes from Not Another Teen Movie. Then we meet the girlfriend, who is extremely devoted to saving wayward animals. She seems like a character out of a Farrelly Brothers movie. Okay, it's a farcical parody of teen comedy.

But then, in the last reel, something odd happens. For starters Kevin Kline shows up. I think this was actually a mistake on his part. I think he was on his way to rehearsal for his role as a teacher in The Emperor's Club, accidentally showed up at the filming of Orange County, and they decided to keep him in the film. Someone who's seen both movies can verify this for me, but I'm guessing he's reading lines from The Emperor's Club when he's on the screen.

Anyway, Kevin Kline shows up, and Orange County contorts itself again, this time deciding it's going to be an inspirational coming-of-age drama like Dead Poet's Society or Finding Forrester, where the great teacher inspires the struggling student.

Okay, fine. But of course before it ends we have to go back to comedy for a few minutes as we're treated to a completely out-of-place scene where good old Colin finds out that his two best friends have been homo-ing it out in a van parked in front of his house.

Orange County is an oddly-casted, poorly-directed, garbled film that never manages to become more than the sum of its confusing, jumbled up parts. As I was watching Orange County I felt, more than anything else, completely bored. Now, after writing this review, I realize I pretty much hate this movie. So that's the range you're looking at for Orange County - somewhere between boring and detestable, depending on how much thought you give it.

The good news, however, is that, as far as I know, Tom Hanks only has one kid to push on the American populace.