Orange County (2002)

A guidance counselor mistakenly sends out the wrong transcripts to Stanford University under the name of an over-achieving high schooler.

Director:

Jake Kasdan

Writer:

Mike White

Stars:

Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Schuyler Fisk

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Hanks	...	Shaun Brumder
Jack Black	...	Lance Brumder
Schuyler Fisk	...	Ashley
Bret Harrison	...	Lonny (as Brett Harrison)
Kyle Howard	...	Arlo
R.J. Knoll	...	Chad (as RJ Knoll)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Cindy Beugler
Mike White	...	Mr. Burke
John Lithgow	...	Bud Brumder
Lily Tomlin	...	Charlotte Cobb
George Murdock	...	Bob Beugler
Lillian Hurst	...	Lupe
Chevy Chase	...	Principal Harbert
Olivia Rosewood	...	Dana
Carly Pope	...	Tanya

Storyline

Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his disfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends the wrong application. So, Shaun goes to great lengths with a little help from his girlfriend Ashley and his drugged-out loser brother Lance to get into Stanford any way they see fit.

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Plot Keywords:

high school senior | slacker | stanford university | panties | stoner | 

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Taglines:

It's not just a place. It's a state of mind.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content, language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

11 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Orange County

Filming Locations:

California Institute of Technology - 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,053,226, 13 January 2002

Gross USA:

$41,076,018

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,325,009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Black, Leslie Mann, and Ben Stiller previously appeared in The Cable Guy (1996).

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Goofs

Cindy wheels Bob out of the house onto the front stoop just before he falls down the front stairs. She is clearly visible beside his chair as he begins to roll. When he hits the car and the camera points towards the front stoop, Ashley is seen standing and watching but Cindy is not on there.

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Quotes

Shaun: I should have seen this coming. The one day I need my family to come through for me, they end up doing what they always do: my father goes ballistic, my mother gets plastered, and my brother burns down a building. It's like they've all come together in some evil conspiracy to prevent me from getting anywhere.
Ashley: [Annoyed] Is that what you think?
Shaun: What else am I supposed to think?
Ashley: You know, I really believed, that you wanted to go to Stanford, because you wanted to study with Marcus Skinner. But ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits both the font of the credits and the way they are displayed are similar to that of the output of a typewriter.

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Connections

References Romeo + Juliet (1996)

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Soundtracks

California
by Jason Schwartzman & Alex Greenwald
Performed by Phantom Planet
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Is this the most underrated comedy of the 2000s?

An endlessly funny, fully realized universe that subverts its subjects and setting, all while clearly loving them. Almost like they were making a satire of turn-of-the-century teen life without denying its power ("Butterfly"). It has surprisingly strong things to say about idolizing your dreams, under appreciating what you have, and realizing the love you have for the family and friends who drive you crazy. An underappreciated and ahead-of-its-time teen comedy.