Made in a similar mold to Van Wilder: Party Liaison and just as funny-
With a decent mix of socially relevant dialogue and humor, first time feature director Colin Sander has produced a film that points out just how much we “all” rely on the internet and our many app-run devices. Sander is showing us it can also be cool to unplug from all the mayhem of status-checking and texting that most are guilty of these days. Its light hearted and funny approach worked rather well, with the familiar subject matter that will be close to many peoples hearts, and we are either guilty of, or know someone who couldn’t survive 10 minutes without checking their smart-device. It was also amusing seeing the Asian stereotype being shown in a different light (particularly after Hangover epitomised the Asian male member), by having Yuji Sikora (Jimmy Wong) hung like a mule. I liked the message this film was giving, and without going overboard, managed to send it out in a way that will appeal to the correct age demographic.
- Dean Slater: Resident Advisor
- Directed by
Colin Sander - Cast
Mitchell Jarvis, Nick Renaud, Jimmy Wong, Glenn McCuen - Release Date
27 August 2013 - Influx Grade: B
The titles at the beginning, after some failed cow-tipping, were particularly good, and really set the scene and mood of the film, for Sander was going for loads of style, and mostly succeeding as the film was indeed stylish. However, I found some of it a bit too much at times, but never to the detriment of the overall look of Dean Slater: Resident Advisor. The casting was good, in particular having the talented Mitchell Jarvis play Dean Slater, and could see some Johnny Depp in his whacky performance as he played a deep, philosophical, parable spouting advisor who knew how to speak almost every language but failed miserably at the language of love.
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For a surprisingly low budget of only $1.2 million, this movie appeared to have very good production values, and really felt like it had more in the way of financial backing. Colin Sander has only done one other movie, a documentary-film titled Only God Could Hear Me that I admittedly haven’t seen, but I wonder how much of its making has influenced this creation. He looks to be very much a visual storyteller, with loads of small details that aren’t always apparent, but are there if you look, and just so happens to be my favourite type of filmmaker. Lensed neatly by Boa Simon, and co-written by Christian, Colin and Scott Sander (relation is assumed), we follow student Tyler Harris (Nick Renaud, Prank) AKA Fartloader, after his previously succesful application to Caltech is revoked, and his overachieving dad is angered, mom sends him for some confidance building at SCSU for the summer.
Tyler attends with his two buddies, and there, meet the famous Dean Slater, who offers his strange philosophy on life to help guide the students, often with amusing parables. Tyler is haunted by a Youtube posting that made him famous, but left him with the unwanted title of Fartloader (you have to wait till the end of the film to find out why and is funny). He and his friends learn to unplug and get off the digital communication grid, and also how to improve their love lives, but Dean Tyler, while certainly being able to give advice in his own strange manner, isn’t very good with personal matters of the heart, and has been trying to win back his old flame Samantha (Italia Ricci). Laden with sexy girls and an amusing story, this film had me enjoying it from start to finish, and it looked great too.
