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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Braingasm, January 28, 2008
Patrick Fugit is Bickford Schmeckler, a loner who lives in the basement of a busy frat house, writing down his "cool ideas" in a large metal book. Olivia Wilde is the beautiful (and smart) girl who throws his world into a tailspin by stealing it from his room. When further mischief gets his book published and distributed around campus, Bickford must come to terms with his own behavior, and decide whether to live his ideas or keep them locked away in his book.
Of course, the hot chick and nerd hook up. He won't stop acting like an emo kid and she dumps him. They get back together, kiss kiss, make-up garbage. And to think, all he had to do was write a "sex poem".
This film is for the most part, funny and light-hearted. Director Scott Lew packs a lot of typical college humor in (party mishaps, D&D geeks who hang out in a comic shop - one of which is John Cho from Harold & Kumar!, etc.), but it all works -- I even found the bits with Matthew Lillard as a campus misfit named "Spaceman" enjoyable. Where it goes slightly awry is when it tries to introduce some seriousness in the form of why Bickford is so socially-challenged. Adding in emotional conflicts seemed to halt the story and put too dark a slant on the intent. The director was suffering from ALS when the movie was being made.
I did like the made up word "braingasm"....the dorky D&D kids in this sadly reminded me of some of my AP classes in high school.
Still, Fugit pulls it all off with his sideways smile and adorable quirkiness (although, I am starting to wonder if he falls down in every movie on purpose, or if he's just clumsy). So, if you're in the mood for something cute, funny, and light, Bickford is good for a once-over. It will make you laugh, and it's worth watching just to see Fugit do what he does best.
What I found amusing most of all was the legion of followers he gains from just being crazy and writing random things down in "The Book".
One more added note: Bickford had the BEST t-shirts ever.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Kind of College Comedy, January 8, 2008
A nerdy college outcast , Bickford Shmeckler (Patrick Fugit of Almost Famous fame) has written a book of ideas about the nature of existence that would make the average persons head spin. While pondering an ending to his book, a sorority girl, Sarah (Olivia Wilde) "borrows" the book and is blown away by it's insights. She gives the book to a friend, who gives to another person and another until Bickford's writings are being passed all around campus.
As he hunts down his prized possession he has the joy of being introduced to a few strange characters that have come into contact with the book. Matthew Lillard is a crazy homeless guy who believes in extra-terrestrial beings who control his thoughts and thinks Bickford can get them to leave. John Cho leads an AD&D group that drops everything to spread the gospel of the book (a la Mao's little red book). It turns out everyone who reads the book either has a mental orgasm or feels enlightened by the thoughts on life, the universe and everything. Bickford has become a reluctant star, messiah and object of desire.
Casting Patrick Fugit in the lead role was an interesting choice, but good one. He's a brooding emo kid with issues who also happens to be a philosophical genius. Bickford has a troubled past and a high-anxiety present, but Fugit plays him with enough of a light touch that he comes as across as more funny than sad. Early on, Bickford seems pretentious and anti-social; simply obsessed with getting the book back. Slowly he learns that there are more important things than pondering the meaning of the universe. As he openes up to the world, we see more of what makes this guy tick.
In all, this isn't your typical college comedy filled with drinking and nudity. It's offbeat, and that's what makes it interesting from your run of the mill American Pie formula of comedies. It's worth checking out for a different take on the same old thing.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Sensible Comedy, October 23, 2008
I didn't expect much from this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. Some classify it as a sex comedy, but at its heart it really isn't any such thing. Yes, there are a couple of semi-nude scenes, but they really aren't central to the story. Instead, this is a story about the anxiety of losing one's diary. In this case, it isn't a social life diary, but an intellectual life diary. All kinds of comical situations arise when Bickford's precious book is stolen by a young vixen, then lost by her boyfriend. It is a pleasant surprise to watch a movie where one's intellect, as expressed in 'the book,' is admired by all who come into contact with this unusual diary. There is a bit of coarse language, but not as much as is usual in these type of comedies. Also, the laughs do not arise out of slapstick drivel, but out of the unexpected logical outcome of its setup.
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