Freshman Orientation (2005)

32% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
43% of users liked it
(688 ratings)

Can a young man win the hand of the girl of his dreams by convincing her that he prefers the company of men? That's the dilemma facing the protagonist of this independent comedy. Clay (Sam Huntington) was a big man on his high-school campus, but he discovers he's just another nobody when he starts… More Can a young man win the hand of the girl of his dreams by convincing her that he prefers the company of men? That's the dilemma facing the protagonist of this independent comedy. Clay (Sam Huntington) was a big man on his high-school campus, but he discovers he's just another nobody when he starts his first year of college, and while he expected to be making time with lots of pretty coeds, most of the girls on campus could care less about him. As Clay hopes to improve his social status by rushing a fraternity after his dorm roommate unexpectedly dies, Amanda (Kaitlin Doubleday), another incoming freshman, is similarly hoping to join a sorority, and as part of her initiation she and the other pledges are each instructed to pick up a certain type of "loser" guy for a party where the boys will be humiliated as part of the evening's entertainment. Amanda is supposed to find a guy who is obviously gay, and her friend Jessica (Heather Matarazzo) mistakenly thinks Clay fits the bill. It doesn't take long for Clay to realize what's going on, but he decides to play along if it means going out with a pretty girl, and he gives himself a crash course in gay behavior in hopes of winning Amanda's heart with some help from amiable queer bartender Rodney (John Goodman). Produced under the title Home of Phobia, Freshman Orientation was the first feature film from writer and director Ryan Shiraki. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Ryan Shiraki
Written By: Ryan Shiraki
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 31, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Aug 19, 2008
Studio: Regent Releasing

Critic Reviews

Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader
John Goodman has a nice turn as a queen with a heart of gold.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
...goes way over the top for the Greeks vs. Gays climax.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
A campus comedy with a dirty mouth, an innocent heart and a surprisingly wise mind, Freshman Orientation uses identity politics as a road to romance and emotional maturity. The naked breasts are a bonus.
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
This trivial film toys with the postmodern lifestyles.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Freshman Orientation is not incompetently made. Nor is it badly acted. But there's not a fresh idea in it, and everyone on screen seems to be in a different comedy.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
...too often feels more like a tapped-out keg than a provocative romp.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A genderbending teensploit turning on a clever twist of the genre's trademark theme. For while most makeover movies feature a female making herself more attractive, this flick has a male deliberately doing the opposite.
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com
Admirably aiming to recreate the feelings of newfound freedom and self-discovery that college inspires, Freshman Orientation never finds a way to successfully execute its good intentions.
Brandon Judell, New York Theatre Wire
You enter expecting something really stupid, and you wind up with something really clever . . . hysterical . . . wise.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
...might push boundaries better were it not so painfully unfunny.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
The charms of this college gross-out comedy with a "message" are elusive.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Consider my two-star rating an indication that the film's Gut-Buster-to-Forehead-Slapper ratio is relatively even.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
OK, it's official: I no longer care about 18 year olds.
Chad Greene, Boxoffice Magazine
Theatres showing it will likely have as many conspicuously empty seats as the classrooms and barrooms in this picture, which was apparently shot on such a shoestring that they couldn't even get enough extras to fill a set.
Timothy Knight, Reel.com
Freshman Orientation barely rates a passing grade.
Kam Williams, DallasBlack.com
A genderbending teensploit turning on a clever twist of the genre's trademark theme. For while most makeover movies feature a female making herself more attractive, this flick has a male deliberately doing the opposite.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
Writer/director Ryan Shiraki certainly adds some youthful exuberance to his debut feature film, but it's all wasted on a tremendously misguided and exhaustively dim screenplay
Luke Y. Thompson, L.A. Weekly
There are other things to like about writer-director Ryan Shiraki's college comedy, mainly that it feels more real than most... Just one problem: It isn't particularly funny.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Cute little indie comedy. Nice relaxed performance by Sam Huntington.
Nicki M

This could be the next American Pie movie (and that hasn't been a compliment since the third one!).