Orange County review

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Smart, personal and original, Jake "son of Lawrence" Kasdan's first movie Zero Effect was an off-kilter detective story that oozed sly personality and wit. Now he's back with a new film that's easier on the brain but - for all its teen schlock conventions - just as funny.

Stuck in the surfer-dude hell that is California's Orange County, Shaun Brumder (Colin "son of Tom" Hanks) dreams of studying literature at Stanford. But when a dippy high school counsellor stuffs up his application, it's up to Shaun, his girlfriend (Schuyler Fisk) and his drugged-up wreck of a brother Lance (Jack Black) to snatch victory from the jaws of disaster... Well, hopefully.

With a mix-and-match plot you could staple onto half-a-dozen post-American Pie efforts, Orange County offers few surprises. What it does have, though, is style and warmth. From the uptight Shaun to the spaced-out Lance via associated dopeheads, moronic preppies and nightmarish relatives, Kasdan clearly has a deep and highly contagious affection for his characters.

NOVERDICT

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.