Stealing Harvard

Directed by Bruce McCulloch, Stealing Harvard follows Jason Lee’s John Plummer as he teams up with an oddball friend (Tom Green’s Duff) to steal enough money to send his niece to Harvard. It’s an agreeably over-the-top premise that’s employed to periodically passable yet mostly underwhelming effect by McCulloch, which is disappointing, ultimately, given that the picture boasts a relatively compelling opening stretch and a predictably personable, charming performance by Lee – with the watchable vibe perpetuated by McCulloch’s lighthearted approach to Martin Hynes and Peter Tolan’s screenplay. There’s little doubt, then, that Stealing Harvard‘s downfall is triggered by a hit-and-miss midsection that’s compounded by Green’s grating turn as John’s unreasonably larger-than-life buddy, and it’s clear, as well, that the arms-length atmosphere is heightened by a growing emphasis on digressions and set-pieces of an entirely unfunny and egregiously silly nature (eg the protagonists’ ongoing encounters with Richard Jenkins’ Mr. Cook). The growing reliance on similarly half-baked comedic bits paves the way for a frenetic second half that’s rarely as much fun as McCulloch has obviously intended, which does, in the end, confirm Stealing Harvard‘s place as a palpable misfire that feels like it could (and should) be so much better.

** out of ****