COLLEGE with Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell, Kevin Covais, Alona Tal, Nick Zano, Gary Owen, Verne Troyer, Camille Mana, Haley Bennett and Nathalie Walker. Directed by Deb Hagan.

ANYTIME I watch an American film set in a fraternity house, I can’t help but wonder if everything is exaggerated or if the American and South African university experiences are really that different. In my four years at NMMU I never encountered parties as wild as the ones shown in the film College!

The film revolves around three guys in their final year of high school.

First there’s Kevin (Drake Bell), who has just been dumped by his girlfriend Gina (Alona Tal).

His best friend is Carter (Andrew Caldwell), the typical fat kid who thinks he’s popular even if nobody else agrees.

And the last reluctant member of the trio is Morris (Kevin Covais), the stereotype nerd who is desperate to get into a specific college because that’s where every previous generation of his family has gone.

The three of them head through to a college for the weekend – Morris for an entry interview and the other two just to party.

When their pre-booked accommodation falls through, they find themselves staying at a fraternity house, where they are constantly bullied, belittled and publicly humiliated by students Teague (Nick Zano) and Bearcat (Gary Owen).

These scenes are the low point of the film, with such disgusting moments as having to drink tequila poured off Bearcat’s body and being forced to clean out a clogged toilet.

But there are some more fun and sweet scenes, with each of the guys meeting a love interest (who are seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are still in school, not college).

There’s hardly a character on screen who isn’t a stereotype and many of the situations seem familiar from other movies. The actors do the best they can with what they were given to work with, and it will be interesting to watch out for Bell in future roles.

But I wouldn’t recommend it to the serious movie buff. In fact I didn’t intend to take it out myself – I had hired the drama Cassandra’s Dream, but somehow this one ended up in the box instead!