Accepted (2006)
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A high school graduate rejected by every college creates a fake university to trick his parents and provide a home for other academic outcasts.
The story
After being rejected by every college he applies to, high school graduate Bartleby Gaines concocts a plan to create a fake university called the South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.) to convince his demanding father he is pursuing an education. He recruits a group of friends who were also rejected from other schools to help run the institution. The plan initially succeeds in fooling Bartleby's parents, but it backfires when the school's website automatically enrolls other applicants. Out of empathy, Bartleby allows the new students to believe the school is real, leading them to develop their own unconventional curriculum.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bartleby Gaines, a persuasive but low-achieving high school senior in Wickliffe, Ohio, is rejected by all colleges. To please his father, he creates the South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.) using an abandoned psychiatric hospital. He recruits friends like Rory Thayer, Darryl "Hands" Holloway, and Glen, and hires a former professor, Dr. Ben Lewis, to pose as Dean. While the plan initially fools his parents, the website begins enrolling real students. Bartleby lets them stay, allowing them to create a curriculum featuring subjects like skateboarding and psychokinesis. Meanwhile, the narcissistic Dean of the nearby real Harmon College, Richard Van Horne, tries to buy up the land for a park. Conflict arises when Bartleby's crush, Monica Moreland, joins the fake school. The truth is eventually exposed by Sherman Schrader III, leading to the school's closure and Bartleby facing fraud charges. However, after witnessing the corruption at the real college, Sherman helps Bartleby seek official accreditation. Bartleby gives an impassioned speech about personal growth, winning a one-year probationary accreditation. The school reopens with certified instructors, and Bartleby finally earns his father's respect. In the final scene, Van Horne's car explodes due to a student's psychokinesis.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steve Pink
- Writers
- Adam Cooper · screenplay; Bill Collage · screenplay; Mark Perez · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Justin Long · Bartleby Gaines; Blake Lively · Monica Moreland; Jonah Hill · Sherman Schrader III; Anthony Heald · Richard Van Horne; Lewis Black · Dr. Ben Lewis; Columbus Short · Darryl "Hands" Holloway; Maria Thayer · Rory Thayer; Adam Herschman · Glen
- Genres
- comedy; teen sex comedy
- Themes
- Alternative education; Academic pressure; Personal growth; Non-conformity
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- Academic scandal; Bullying; Fraternities; Fake school
- Content notes
- Sex
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was more favorably received by audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 38% · review count: 115; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 27; AllMovie · score: 3 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film was the directorial debut of Steve Pink.; The film grossed $38.6 million against a $23 million budget.; The film was released in the now-discontinued HD DVD format.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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