Orange County (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Conner R

  
  Just a fun movie with a giant heart, impossible to not love. The characters are outrageous and believable at the same time, it's really well shot and tells an important story and unique coming of age experience. It manages to cover all the distasteful parts of a family and… More
  Just a fun movie with a giant heart, impossible to not love. The characters are outrageous and believable at the same time, it's really well shot and tells an important story and unique coming of age experience. It manages to cover all the distasteful parts of a family and capitalize on them, which has never quite been done in the same way before or since. Colin Hanks isn't just a wimpy and angsty teen with too many issues, his problems are real and relatable to most. Jack Black probably gives one of his best performances as Lance, he's never been funnier or more lovable. I think that it shows how terrible and happy life can be at the same time.

• Spencer S

  
  Not the best, but definitely wacky with a turn for Schuyler Fisk. Just ignore Jack Black and you'll enjoy it.

• Tim S

  
  Meh.

• Anthony L

  
  A good film with some good laughs but ultimately I was a little disappointed as I'd been told it was the greatest film ever and it isn't.

• Jason O

  
  When we're around the 18 - 23 range, don't we all want to get out of the county and same old house that we've known all our life? Shaun does. He's real smart and has a strong urge for becoming a writer one day. He wants to go to a certain university that's far… More
  When we're around the 18 - 23 range, don't we all want to get out of the county and same old house that we've known all our life? Shaun does. He's real smart and has a strong urge for becoming a writer one day. He wants to go to a certain university that's far away, just to escape Orange County, his drunken mom, wacky brother, etc. But he'll soon find out that getting what you want isn't always easy. "Orange County" manages to be hilarious (the mindless antics of Jack Black are what REALLY makes the movie) and meaningful (I don't know about you, but I know I can sure relate to wanting to get out of the same tainted place I've known all my life) at the same time. Not to mention that the cast (John Lithgow, Catherine O'hara, Jack Black, and some rising stars) is pretty much perfect for the roles that they play in the film. However, the special features, while decent, could've been better. It has a scene selection, four deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer, interstitials, and commentary by the director and writer. That's good enough, but where are the interviews with the cast, the behind the scenes bloopers, and so on? Nonetheless, the bottom line is that "Orange County" is a great movie that will provide you entertainment for years to come if you add it to your collection. For that reason, it's definitely recommended that you add it to your collection ASAP. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2003.

• Lenny M

  
  Nothing entirely special here but it's got the offspring of Tom Hanks as the lead role which was exciting. Also Jack Black always plays a good stoner/bum. Looks like Tom Hanks' baby isn't starting out in wild comedies like "Bosom Buddies" or "Bachelor… More
  Nothing entirely special here but it's got the offspring of Tom Hanks as the lead role which was exciting. Also Jack Black always plays a good stoner/bum. Looks like Tom Hanks' baby isn't starting out in wild comedies like "Bosom Buddies" or "Bachelor Party" in the footsteps of Mr. Hanks. This film is a simple MTV produced comedy with a pretty good script and casting.

• Daniel P

  
  Much more enjoyable than I expected, the first half was pretty good but it eventually sort of unravelled. It tells a story that's easily related to though, and the characters are all interesting. A decent script scores this film more points than its formulaic filming, and while I… More
  Much more enjoyable than I expected, the first half was pretty good but it eventually sort of unravelled. It tells a story that's easily related to though, and the characters are all interesting. A decent script scores this film more points than its formulaic filming, and while I don't need to see it again, I don't regret watching it either.

• Aaron N

  
  Shaun: Lance, I want you to stay in your room. Lance: Why? Shaun: Because you're an embarrassment. Lance: OK! The plot of this movie is just so lame, but on repeated viewings its still ok. Jack Black makes things work. Firefighter: What's your name? Lance: Uh, Joe...… More
  Shaun: Lance, I want you to stay in your room. Lance: Why? Shaun: Because you're an embarrassment. Lance: OK! The plot of this movie is just so lame, but on repeated viewings its still ok. Jack Black makes things work. Firefighter: What's your name? Lance: Uh, Joe... John... uh, Joe-John. Firefighter: Your name's Joe-John? Lance: John-ston, Johnston. Joe. Firefighter: You wanna tell me what happened here? Lance: Uh, there was a fire, I dunno, I came by and it's... checkin out the fire. Firefighter: Well that lady uh, Mona? She said that you two were in the building together when the fire started. Lance: Yeah, she's a liar, cuz I dunno her so whatever, whatever she says is a lie, so... Firefighter: K, so you're saying you weren't in the building with that woman? Lance: No, not I! Aright, she started it, aright? Because she was like "I hate my job, I'm gonna burn this mother down!" And I said "You better not... you better not!" Firefighter: She said it was an electrical fire. Lance: It was. It was a total electrical fire, it was like uh, the switches had sparks comin out, and the sockets, and uh it was like the 4th of July, man! Firefighter: Why aren't you wearing your pants, Joe? Lance: I tripped, and uh then I had to take 'em off to run faster out of the flames... [coughing] Lance: I think I inhaled some smoke, will you excuse me one second, I'll be right back. [runs away in the background] Firefighter: [into walkie talkie] We got a sprinter. Five foot five, no pants, unkempt... portly.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"It's not just a place. It's a state of mind."</i> Some cast and crew from NBC's highly acclaimed, little-seen series Freaks and Geeks reunite for this teen comedy that also marks the first starring role for Tom Hanks' son, Colin. The… More
  <i>"It's not just a place. It's a state of mind."</i> Some cast and crew from NBC's highly acclaimed, little-seen series Freaks and Geeks reunite for this teen comedy that also marks the first starring role for Tom Hanks' son, Colin. The younger Hanks plays Shaun Brumder, a high schooler eager to propel himself out of the land of surf bums and ranch homes to which the film's title refers. He's had his sights set on Stanford ever since he read the works of professor Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline), and his transcript is stellar enough to gain him admission. Shaun is understandably furious, then, when he receives a rejection letter in the mail; after some detective work on his part, he realizes that his flaky counselor (Lily Tomlin) mistakenly sent the university the wrong papers. It's up to him to get to Stanford within 24 hours to set the record straight -- literally -- and he enlists the help of his slacker brother Lance (Jack Black) to do so. Orange County co-stars Catharine O'Hara and John Lithgow as Shaun and Lance's slightly unhinged parents; the film was directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Mike White, both of whom contributed to several episodes of Freaks and Geeks. <b><u>Review</u></b> Considering how bad this film could have been, I consider "Orange County" to be a real triumph. It combines solid performances, likeable characters, gross-out humor, brainy dialogue, an excellent soundtrack, and Jack Black sans trousers. That may be enough for most people, seeing a doped-out Black frantically vacuuming his room wearing nothing but his skivvies. It was certainly most of the initial appeal for ME, being the huge Tenacious D fan that I am. An added bonus is an appealing lead performance by Colin Hanks, son of the legendary Tom Hanks. I was very pleased to see that the younger Hanks sports the same easy-going, everyman persona as his dad. He carries the film on his slight shoulders very easily, aided immensely with a predictable but smart script and a very able-bodied cast. I definitely have to recommend this one.

• Rachel F

  
  Hilarious. Jack Black is the best drugged out low-life ever.

• Jason S

  
  Eh. Not all that great.

• Leigh R

  
  Funny!

• Michael G

  
  Not great, not awful.

• Luke B

  
  I found it more annoying and irritating than funny. Lithgow has a few good lines, and for once I just wanted to punch Black. Hard to enjoy really.

• Mike N

  
  It's March! :fresh: [img]http://homeroom.pnca.edu/docs/inline/1695[/img]

• Yinalí R

  
  Has a positive message to it, although some of the jokes didn't really make any sense. It could have been better, but hey, MTV makes it's own batch of movies.

• Joseph E

  
  Nothing more than just your average low-brain comedy, that is as visual stunning, as it is visual painfull!

• a b

  
  "Dude, it's, like, Lonny's birthday. His death birthday."

• Jason S

  
  Jack Black is underused, but this coming of age flick is quite a nice ride. Combined with a cool cast and some funny dialogue, its a ride you want to take again and again.

• Andrew P

  
  For the most part Orange Country is a fantastically paced, witty and clever film which is let down with a typical happy ending. It's a great coming of age story and while Jack Black may now seem outdated, here he still feels slightly fresh. See it!

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