I thought that this would be at best an "Animal House" type film or at worst a typical slacker comedy. Well, it certainly isn't as uproariously funny as "Animal House" (with the incomparable John Belushi) was when it first came out, but it has a thought provoking message.
Good comedies (as well as good thrillers) require surprising audiences with a scene taking a turn they didn't expect. Repeated imitations of an original comic situation can lead to the original film not holding up well over time. Other than Animal House, the slacker movie genre seems stale. While "Accepted" is basically a slacker movie, it also displays some of the irony of the expectations of a college education. As a result the film, despite its plot's inherent ridiculousness, is better than many of the slacker movies that preceded it.
There are various reasons for wanting a college education. Probably the foremost reason is it can lead to better jobs. There are many careers, such as medical doctor or engineer, in which a practitioner will utilize much of the specialized course material learned as an undergraduate, and some even will make use of knowledge gained in graduate school. But my experience is that many employers use a college degree requirement simply as a filter. The employee might not utilize any of the stuff he learned in college, but the degree demonstrates an applicant's ability to learn, or at least to complete a goal. Probably most college graduates will find that in their employment they will use little of the course work they completed in college. Getting a degree is like getting your ticket punched.
When there are more job openings than applicants, society can elect to loosen requirements. For example, a shortage of graduates from medical schools has led to the creation of career opportunities such as Nurse Specialist and Physician's Assistant that allow people to practice medicine without all the graduate education required for a Doctor of Medicine degree.
But when there are more new college graduates than job openings, the fence gets raised and a Masters Degree may become the new filter. Young people who spent four years of their lives going to college may find that they are competing for the same low-pay jobs as people with only H.S. educations but who have 4 years more work experience.
Some decades ago India had a problem of graduating many more engineers than that nation had job openings for. Colleges are often a little late in providing educations tailored to the current job opportunities, and then late again in switching off their production lines when employers' need for those graduates have been satisfied.
A different reason for attending college is social. It is a place to get away from your parents, to meet new people and have new experiences, and to make contacts who in later years will become a support network. Often your network of friends will be the best way of finding new job opportunities. I suppose that higher quality colleges will provide students with higher quality contacts who will end up with more power to help their friends.
A third reason for attending college is a desire for learning. While most English Literature and History majors will not find careers in those fields, they will benefit in other ways from being educated. A Democracy needs educated citizens. Included in this is stretching the mind by learning new ways of looking at things, and also fostering creativity and innovation.
"Accepted" makes a case for a school devoted to fostering creativity and allowing students to explore their interests. Rather than following a high-school-like fixed curriculum, the students design their own curriculum. To some extent this is akin to the old English Universities where students were responsible for their own learning. The important difference is that in Oxford and Cambridge professors are available for guidance and to get a degree your advisers must be satisfied with your level of knowledge.
"Accepted" also points out that some bright people don't get accepted to an affordable 4-year college because they didn't apply themselves to study in high school, not because they aren't "college material."
"Accepted" is still a slacker comedy and its more serious side is not all that serious, but it can make you think, which is more than most slacker movies do.
Good comedies (as well as good thrillers) require surprising audiences with a scene taking a turn they didn't expect. Repeated imitations of an original comic situation can lead to the original film not holding up well over time. Other than Animal House, the slacker movie genre seems stale. While "Accepted" is basically a slacker movie, it also displays some of the irony of the expectations of a college education. As a result the film, despite its plot's inherent ridiculousness, is better than many of the slacker movies that preceded it.
There are various reasons for wanting a college education. Probably the foremost reason is it can lead to better jobs. There are many careers, such as medical doctor or engineer, in which a practitioner will utilize much of the specialized course material learned as an undergraduate, and some even will make use of knowledge gained in graduate school. But my experience is that many employers use a college degree requirement simply as a filter. The employee might not utilize any of the stuff he learned in college, but the degree demonstrates an applicant's ability to learn, or at least to complete a goal. Probably most college graduates will find that in their employment they will use little of the course work they completed in college. Getting a degree is like getting your ticket punched.
When there are more job openings than applicants, society can elect to loosen requirements. For example, a shortage of graduates from medical schools has led to the creation of career opportunities such as Nurse Specialist and Physician's Assistant that allow people to practice medicine without all the graduate education required for a Doctor of Medicine degree.
But when there are more new college graduates than job openings, the fence gets raised and a Masters Degree may become the new filter. Young people who spent four years of their lives going to college may find that they are competing for the same low-pay jobs as people with only H.S. educations but who have 4 years more work experience.
Some decades ago India had a problem of graduating many more engineers than that nation had job openings for. Colleges are often a little late in providing educations tailored to the current job opportunities, and then late again in switching off their production lines when employers' need for those graduates have been satisfied.
A different reason for attending college is social. It is a place to get away from your parents, to meet new people and have new experiences, and to make contacts who in later years will become a support network. Often your network of friends will be the best way of finding new job opportunities. I suppose that higher quality colleges will provide students with higher quality contacts who will end up with more power to help their friends.
A third reason for attending college is a desire for learning. While most English Literature and History majors will not find careers in those fields, they will benefit in other ways from being educated. A Democracy needs educated citizens. Included in this is stretching the mind by learning new ways of looking at things, and also fostering creativity and innovation.
"Accepted" makes a case for a school devoted to fostering creativity and allowing students to explore their interests. Rather than following a high-school-like fixed curriculum, the students design their own curriculum. To some extent this is akin to the old English Universities where students were responsible for their own learning. The important difference is that in Oxford and Cambridge professors are available for guidance and to get a degree your advisers must be satisfied with your level of knowledge.
"Accepted" also points out that some bright people don't get accepted to an affordable 4-year college because they didn't apply themselves to study in high school, not because they aren't "college material."
"Accepted" is still a slacker comedy and its more serious side is not all that serious, but it can make you think, which is more than most slacker movies do.