ss97-1 First off I must say I loved VW one, it is still one of my favorite movies. It was very funny, entertaining and Ryan Reynolds was just perfect. The acting was great and the Van Wilder character was unique but familiar. Now that starts me off on the first problem with "VW2:Rise of Taj" and that problem is that Taj just does not bode well as a primary character. And as much as I like Kal Penn he looked uncomfortable trying to maintain "Taj" and not become "Kumar" and not become "Van Wilder" himself. He seemed conflicted with this issue the entire film. Even his accent would stray in and out, at times sounding totally SoCal American. The plot itself was predictable from the second it started unfolding. You pretty much knew the gist of what was going to happen for the next 90 minutes based on the initial meeting of Taj and Pip (the antagonist) but really we don't watch these types of movies for their plot-twisting and high caliber story. We watch them because they are fun. Or in this case because we hope it is funny.That brings up the next problem with VW2. It was not all that much fun, especially not compared to VW1. And it was not all that funny. The first hour was pretty boring and choppy, and seemed comfused about where it wanted to go, even though we knew where it was going. It never really seems to be leading anywhere but in circles. But the problem is that while it is leading in circles, the jokes trying to hold it together are not very funny. They had so many chances to go in interesting directions but never did. They seemed to force it all together too quickly, as the movie oddly moves too slowly.I actually really liked some of the supporting case.... I really liked Lauren Cohen a lot. She was understated and strong at the same time, while doing her best to work within the limits of the script. The goofy cast of misfits turned cool are good, but are really underused by the writers and directors. One of the things that made VW1 so great was the use of secondary players and there was much more unexplored potential there.But then something happened towards the end of the film. You unexpectedly start to pull for the underdogs to win and you don't have to wait too long for that to happen. Everything buttons up at the end in a more entertaining way then you expect after the first half. A few decent gags work their way into the fold and you have no choice but to smile a little.You walk away feeling satisfied that the bad guy got what he deserved and all the good guys win. Which if the movie is that bad you generally don't care about at all. And that got me thinking that the movie overall was not as bad as it seemed.Yes VW2 is a pretty bad movie, but so are a lot of movies. It is not that bad if you don't compare it to VW1. If you go in expecting to see the original feeling that VW1 had you will be disappointed a lot..... if you take VW2 by itself, it is a silly movie that is not all that funny, but still has some redeeming qualities, and a few funny moments. I gave it a 5-of-10 as I would compare it to most middle of the road college comedy movies. Just don't go in expecting to see Van Wilder. This movie would have done better to drop the "Van Wilder 2" title altogether. It really is not VW2, it is a small secondary character in another movie with very few ties to the original. It would have been better to just toss in the VW association like they did and leave it off the title. I'm pretty sure Lampoon fans would have made the connection without VW being in the title. compare it to VW1 or it will pale in comparison....

xnomesx-1 I have to say, whoever wrote the comment "Oh My God" made a very valid point, where is the title character?! That aside, it is a bit of a light chuckle, but I found myself screaming at the TV more than anything!! Most definitely filmed in England, with a largely British cast. But the home of the main character is most definitely NOT English, despite being in a very English location. The film is packed with things that the American creators obviously thought they were getting totally right, but have got COMPLETELY wrong!! Ridiculous British stereotypes, the types of people whom I have never come across in my 20 years of living; an Irish stereotype; the obvious Asian-American stereotype; American phrases; American cultural references; ridiculous British references that are.. well they're not really anything that anyone in Britain would actually make any form of reference to!! So on and so forth!! Overall, a laugh, but not worth the frustration of being an American made, British based film!!

drystyx I don't think anyone will argue that this is the basic formula movie. New guy takes girl away from snotty rich kid. That works okay. In fact, the character of the lead is well done. He is rather likable and believable (for this sort of circus atmosphere), and has the impish likability of Cary Grant mixed with the very caring and concerned character of a James Stewart. The gags are juvenile, but okay. Nothing really bad. Certainly better than most of National Lampoon's bombs. Now the bad news. The idea behind the movie is lame and trite. We have a character who teaches students to throw History books away because they were written long ago. That may work for Science, Math, or certain subjects, but History is something that really becomes bad when rewritten, by definition. We already have people wanting to rewrite History, and in a hundred years, don't be surprised to see History books portray Manson as an idol, Jesus as a guy who had babies with Mary Magdeline, and Moses as a myth. Yes, some people already believe in these crocks because of people who would ban History books. That said, it goes for okay cheap entertainment that when your friends make you sit through it, you won't feel very bad.

Ziom Takol This movie was really good. It contained lots of humor and funny jokes. Kal Penn is the best. Really good acting and just loved the movie.The movie is about Taj Mahal who is going to Camden university in Great Brittain to receive doctors rank. After his time with Van wilder he became the coolest dude in College college. Now he is back turning a bunch of geeks into the cool dude he became once.Lots of laugh and lots of humor in one of the best comedies this year. And Kal Pen is fantastic.I like the way the movie is structured, with the nice and polite British royal family and here comes a Indian dude who just thinks about girls.Kal Penn is looking forward to become the pimp at the university but instead he falls in love. Just one thingThis is the greatest movie ever