First there was Van Wilder, which was actually decent. Then came The Rise of Taj, which continued the story of Kal Penn’s character. Now we have Freshman Year, the prequel to how it all began. You know where this one is headed…

Van Wilder is just beginning his first year at Coolidge and it’s not quite what he expected. When he finds out that the campus is being run by a military drill sergeant (Kurt Fuller), Van makes it his mission to bring the fun back to college. Of course, Van can’t do this alone so he has help from his Rastafarian wannabe roommate, Farley, and the sexually repressed foreign student, Yu. Together, they fight against the oppression of their military leaders and strive to get the girls.

Firstly, Ryan Reynolds does not make an appearance whatsoever so don’t expect any amazing scene with him at the end or something. Nope, it’s all Jonathan Bennett in this one. Only one word could describe Bennett; awkward.

The man tries too hard to be exactly how Ryan Reynolds is, with his quirky words and mannerisms. It just looks embarrassing. Occasionally he is able to pull it off but most of the time you’d just wish he would do his own thing rather than try to be someone he’s clearly not.

The story is just as you would expect. It primarily revolves around sex and more sex. Did I mention there was sex involved? To give them credit, this is first film I’ve seen where part of the bloopers was a sex scene. Admittedly, that was pretty funny. Speaking of bloopers…

They are absolutely amazing. Forget the film; just get the DVD for the bloopers. There is one titled “Decatur” that is pure genius. It makes fun of The Hills and does it perfectly. From the names to how those snooty girls act, the cast of Freshman Year hit the nail on the head with it.*

Maybe it’s the fact that the film was shot in Decatur or maybe it’s because I detest The Hills, but that bonus feature alone made everything that much better. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this direct-to-DVD film, but the extras are definitely worth checking out.

*Note: I do not watch The Hills on a regular basis. It was for a review people so don’t get any ideas about me.