PCU
Welcome to Port Chester University, where the Politically Correct go head-to-head with the Party Animals in the rowdiest college comedy since “Animal House.” With all the new social rules on political correctness, the only fun place left on campus is The Pit, an outlawed underground fraternity house. Here, no behavior is too offensive and no lifestyle too bizarre. These fraternity brothers and sisters are lazy, lawless and loud – and determined to turn PCU back into the party school it was meant to be!Almost 10 years before playing a by-the-books college dean in Old School, Jeremy Piven was King Slob of an underground fraternity in this frequently amusing cult comedy. Piven is Droz, who introduces nervous freshman Chris Young to his eclectic frat-mates (which include Jon Favreau) while steering clear of vicious prepster David Spade and malevolent school head Jessica Walter. Piven’s off-the-cuff humor and the capable cast help anchor the film’s gleefully anarchic tone, which is refreshingly free of the cheap scatological gags that usually sink collegiate comedies. The result is a breezy, likable comedy that should please fans of cinematic campus capers. 20th Century Fox’s surprisingly extra-laden DVD includes fullscreen and widescreen versions of the film, as well as commentaries by a typically wry Piven and director Hart Bochner; a short behind-the-scenes featurette; a video for Mudhoney’s cover of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up,” which is featured on the soundtrack, and the original theatrical trailer. –Paul Gaita 
Rating:  List Price: $ 14.98 Price: $ 5.81 |
(out of 100 reviews)
Review by M. G Watson for PCU
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I caught this movie on video not long after it took a dive in theatres in 1994 and had no expectations for it. I was surprised how much I loved it and after half-a-dozen viewings it still holds up as one of the top “kollege skool daze” films of all-time. A sort of 1990s take on “Animal House” but adjusted to reflect the smothering, neutering, pandering effect that political correctness has had on society, and college society in particular, “PCU” is the story of a hapless perspective freshman (“prefresh”) who visits the fictional Port Charles University, once a happening party school that has been spayed by its obsessively PC dean. The prefresh finds himself in the middle of a war being waged between the Order of Balls & Shaft (a button-down clan of elitist snobs led by super-smarmy David Spade) and a group of renegade misfits led by Droz (Jeremy Piven at his very best) over ownership of “the Pit” — the decaying fraternity house occupied by Droz’s band but which once housed Spade’s Hitler Youth troop. The real battle on campus, however, is between those who just want to party and have a good time and various sterotypical groups (militant blacks, feminazis, potheads, vegans, gays, etc) who have made any behavior that doesn’t involve protesting basically impossible. The president of the university, Garcia-Thomas (note the hyphen), so hates the “offensive” Pit-persons that she sides with Spade’s group to drive them off campus even though Spade is the antithesis of all of her beliefs. What follows is general chaos, with a hilarious performance by John Favereau (fat and wearing dreadlocks) as Gutter, a moron who fails every task given to him yet somehow gets George Clinton and his P-Funk All Stars to jam at a “Save the Pit” fundraiser. “PCU” is hardly a perfect movie, but having had an extremely crazy college career I could definetly relate to what happens in the film, and I most definetly give a “big up” (as they say in Jamaica) to the brutally anti-PC message. Simply put, I laughed my butt off at this film. It’s worth at least a rental and I can’t wait for the DVD so I can watch the Pit crew bombard the vegans with meat again and again.
Review by Jordan M. Rochester for PCU
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One of the traditions displayed every decade in film tends to be of the college flick. However, these have become abundantly rare. Having been in the shadow of the likes of such movies as Porky’s and National Lampoon’s Animal House, PCU finds itself stuck in the midst of a competitive market. I do believe this movie does manage to hold its own with the portrayal of how college life really is (in most cases). With the perfect mix of stoner humor and a reasonable plot, PCU comes to life as Piven’s character Droz comes to terms with his former love, his enemies, as well as his friends. Chocked full of hi-jinx, this college movie starring Jeremy Piven (Family Man, Very Bad Things), John Favreau (Very Bad Things, The Replacements, Made), and sarcastic funny-man David Spade (Lost and Found, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) with a very special appearance of the funk master himself, George Clinton, you just might find yourself liking it at PCU.
(Also suggest the titles Dazed and Confused, Half Baked, Animal House.)
Review by Beau Christensen for PCU
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If you like politically incorrect, and you like college movies, this one is for you. It also includes a killer cast of Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, David Spade, and even George Clinton!! This isn’t a cookie-cutter college movie, it has it’s own style.
Review by Steven Sprunger for PCU
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This movie takes a hilarious look at the PC (politically correct) movement that began to plague college campuses in the late 80s to early 90s. Jeremy Piven is at his best in this movie as the slacker leader of a bunch of college misfits. The story centers around a ‘pre-frosh’ that visits the PCU campus and has his ideas and expectations of what college life will be shattered during one crazy weekend in the ‘Pit’. This movie has queitly become a college campus cult classic much like its predecessor, ‘Animal House’. Highly recommended for a good laugh.
Review by Alex Dresko for PCU
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One of my top 10 all time flavorite movies!