'Freshman Orientation'

A tale of sexual anarchy on campus, "Freshman Orientation" (Regent) is intended to be a comedy. Yet a heavy-handed script - together with the sad spectacle of a group of young people entrapped by their own desires - renders writer-director Ryan Shiraki's film more glum than amusing.

College freshman Clay Adams (Sam Huntington) arrives at his new school determined to succeed with women. He soon sets his sights on Amanda (Kaitlin Doubleday), an aloof sorority pledge. When Amanda is instructed to make a gay man fall in love with her as part of her initiation, Clay recognizes this as an opportunity to get to know her, and so pretends to be homosexual. He receives lessons in gay culture from Rodney (John Goodman), the owner of a local gay bar. As Clay and Amanda become friends, complications multiply. Clay must contend with the hostile suspicions of Marjorie (Marla Sokoloff), an ex-girlfriend who has become a lesbian, and may blow his cover. Simultaneously, he must also stave off a reconciliation between Amanda and her ex, a fraternity brother named Tazwell (Bryce Johnson). Amanda herself, meanwhile, is feeling confusion over her attraction to Clay, and guilt about the trick she's playing on him. Even worse off is Clay's roommate, Matt (Mike Erwin), who really is gay and has fallen for him. When Clay becomes the victim of a supposed gay-bashing, protests erupt and chaos threatens to engulf the entire campus. Although the film warns against stereotypes, it ends up reinforcing many of them. It also takes for granted that all sexual urges should be acted on, more or less without restraint. Shiraki's hormonally driven screenplay is anything but humorous. And the seemingly ironic, though valid moral of the story - that Clay and Amanda can build a strong personal rapport precisely because they are not having sex - gets lost in the shuffle. The film contains extensive sexual activity, rear and upper female nudity, brief pornographic imagery, a suicide and pervasive rough, crude and crass language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O - morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - - Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops