How I Got into College

Directed by Savage Steve Holland, How I Got into College follows Corey Parker’s Marlon Browne as he jumps through a series of hoops to land a spot at an elite college (where his crush, Lara Flynn Boyle’s Jessica, is applying). Filmmaker Holland, working from a screenplay by Terrel Seltzer, delivers an irreverent, briskly-paced comedy that fares best in its fun and engaging first half, as the movie boasts an easygoing sensibility that’s echoed in its larger-than-life execution and raft of agreeable performances – with, in terms of the latter, Parker’s extremely affable turn matched by an exceedingly (and impressively) eclectic roster of periphery players (including Anthony Edwards, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Jenkins, and Phil Hartman). And while the movie has been peppered with a whole host of appealing (and funny) set-pieces and digressions (eg Marlon’s encounter with Curtis Armstrong’s over-the-top bible-college recruiter), How I Got into College ultimately progresses into a final third that slowly-but-surely runs out of steam to a fairly demonstrable (and distressing) extent – which, despite the presence of a satisfying, feel-good finale, cements the picture’s place as a decent-enough endeavor that feels a little long even at just 86 minutes.

**1/2 out of ****