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Orange County is yet another small budgeted comedy that came from outta left field and raked in over twice as much as it cost, which was around $41 million. Critics didn't greet Orange County very warmly; in fact you might say it was lambasted darn heavily, but the film was a hit with the teenage crowd, so what do Maltin or Roeper know about comedy, anyway? (They both actually liked Kate & Leopold!)

As for the plot, y'all probably already know what this one's about as we all were inundated with an overabundance of trailers that revealed far too much of the story. The formula is that tried and true Man vs. Himself dilemma, as Shaun Brumder is trying ever so hard to make his mark on the world and get into the best college. His inspiration comes from a book he finds on the beach, so decides he'd like to become a writer and work with the author at Stanford. Only one thing stands in his way... Lily Tomlin is his career counselor, and sent in the wrong transcript, so Shaun doesn't make the cut. But this is a teen comedy, so of course Shaun can't accept defeat, instead roping in his girlfriend (Schuyler Fisk) and brother (Jack Black) to come up with increasingly improbably ways to get him into Stanford.

Orange County stars Colin Hanks (yup, Tom's boy) as Shaun, and Fisk (Sissy Spacek's daughter) as Ashley, with a slew of excellent cameos ranging from Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Ben Stiller, Harold Ramis and Chevy Chase. Now, at first glance one might think that these young stars have superstar parents who could certainly call anyone and have their kids put in any film, which is probably true. However, it is refreshing to see Hanks and Fisk doing their best to make the movie their own and not simply copy their famous parents' mannerisms. Good for them, but now if only Martin Sheen could convince his offspring otherwise...

Speaking of nepotism, after a poorly-received directorial debut with the 1998 bomb Zero Effect, director Jake Kasdan (son of Lawrence) helmed episodes of such small screen teen shows as Grosse Pointe, Undeclared and Freaks & Geeks, but does an admirable job here with pretty thin material. Screenwriter Mike White is also familiar with the genre, having written the surprisingly humorous screenplay for Dead Man on Campus, and shows a strong hand for character and pace. All things considered, the laughs abound and it isn't until the predictable finale that Orange County crumbles under the weight of its own heavy-handed morality tale turn. The giggles slow to a trickle, but don't let that deter you, this is still well worth a Saturday night rental.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Paramount grants Orange County a very nice 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. There are a large number of bright scenes that look great, with colors that always look fantastic with well- rendered and precise fleshtones. Textures and fine detail are often striking, such as the raised designs on the Brumder's couch or a thread of fabric on Lithgow's shirt. Blacks are solid and whites crisp, with no hint of over-contrast or blooming bright whites. The print as expected is nearly pristine, with only the rare bit of grain to distract. On the negative side, there is a relatively fair amount of edge enhancement and halos, especially in exterior shots of the amazingly angular high school, but on the whole this is a very fine transfer.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Included is a delightful Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. While suffering slightly from the typical blah sound design that plagues most comedies, for the most part all channels are active throughout and this is a lively mix. Dialogue is well anchored in the center channel and clear and distinct throughout. The surrounds are mainly utilized for the score and songs with only the rare discrete effect. But there are a few left to right pans that were produced seamlessly and the front soundstage, in general, is crisp and lively. Of course a rocking soundtrack helps pump up the jam, so to speak. Another area that excels is the strong .1 LFE channel, and while there are only a couple of scenes where bass is overly apparent, it is very well- rendered and gives the mix a much needed kick.

Also included are English and French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround tracks, with English Closed Captions and English subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Not quite a full-fledged collectors' edition, but Paramount has sprung for a few nice supplements that should please the fans.

First up is the screen-specific audio commentary by director Jake Kasdan and writer Mike White. This commentary is a bit on the slow side with far too much quite time and almost an entire lack of info provided on the film whatsoever. Kasdan and White try the patience of the view by going on endlessly about how wonderfully one another handled particular aspects of scene after scene. They are very proud of this movie which is great, but their dry wit and nasally voices should drive most to hit "Eject" in no time flat.

Up next are some deleted scenes, all presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Here we have four beauties, one of which caused some giggles but the rest are pretty dull. Skip on through to the next extra, something called interstitials, of which there are no less than fifteen. They appear to be promotional ads that were made for TV, and several are very entertaining, or at least the first nine of 'em are. It's too bad they didn't include the forty-two radio spots likely made for the picture as well...?

Rounding out the extras is the film's theatrical trailer, presented non-anamorphic Dolby Digital 5.1. I remember seeing it in the theater and thinking that I had just seen the entire movie. I suppose there must be some good marketing reason for showing the entire film's plot line and 75% of the jokes in a two- minute trailer... but I sure can't think of one. Anyway, after you've watched Orange County it's a fun recap of the film, but don't watch it first if you haven't seen the film.

On a quick side note, I suppose I haven't purchased many Paramount new releases lately, but Orange County's keepcase has a new and most unusual feature. Not only does the case snap shut, but there are two flaps that also lock in for that extra secure closure. It's like a Pelican case for one DVD. Peculiar!

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts