Harvard Man (**)
review by Ken Gumbs

This film begins like a typical made-for-television crapfest, but takes an ugly psychedelic turn right out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Okay, I’ll elaborate, but if you want to stop now, I won’t blame you. I summed it up
pretty well in that first line.

Sarah Michelle Gellar takes a break from Buffy to do a nice little indie film. Gellar plays Cindy, a Harvard cheerleader that happens to be the daughter of a notorious mafia boss. Adrian Grenier plays Alan, Harvard’s druggie, stud, philosopher, and star point guard that is in dire need for some cash to help out his troubled family.

So like any good made-for-T.V. movie can tell you, trouble meets good intensions meets more trouble. Of course Alan is forced to throw the big game so Cindy and her father can score some big bucks. And like any good made-for-T.V. movie can tell you, someone is an undercover FBI agent and the situation gets a little stickier. So the checklist reads like this- boy needs money, boy does corrupt deal for good cause, gets caught, and must make a deal to get everyone off the hook. Well, done and done, that’s a wrap. Lets put the cameras away.
Unfortunately, the DVD ticker only reads about 50 minutes at this point and 50 minute films don’t really sell on the big screen, so like many movies, Harvard Man takes a long and boring trip to meet that lustrous 90-minute mark.

To fill the gap Alan takes some acid soaked cubes to ‘clear his mind.’ Unfortunately, as he gets high, the audience gets bored. Typical Fear and Loathing-style effects are used to capture the psychedelic world of acid. In Fear and Loathing there was a point to the drugs, Harvard Man seemed to leave that little part out.

Altogether, this movie has some average storytelling with some above average filmmaking. Quality cinematography, musical score, and jump-cut editing try their best to save this film, but ultimately fail. Average movie, but save your money. I’m sure Lifetime will be showing something just as cliché this afternoon.

respond to ken@filmbrats.com

HOME