Orange County

2002 Comedy

Some cast and crew from NBC's highly acclaimed, little-seen series Freaks and Geeks reunite for this teen comedy that also marks the first starring role for Tom Hanks' son, Colin. The younger Hanks plays Shaun Brumder, a high schooler eager to propel himself out of the land of surf bums and ranch homes to which the film's title refers. He's had his sights set on Stanford ever since he read the works of professor Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline), and his transcript is stellar enough to gain him admission. Shaun is understandably furious, then, when he receives a rejection letter in the mail; after some detective work on his part, he realizes that his flaky counselor (Lily Tomlin) mistakenly sent the university the wrong papers. It's up to him to get to Stanford within 24 hours to set the record straight -- literally -- and he enlists the help of his slacker brother Lance (Jack Black) to do so. Orange County co-stars Catharine O'Hara and John Lithgow as Shaun and Lance's slightly unhinged parents; the film was directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Mike White, both of whom contributed to several episodes of Freaks and Geeks. more..

Director: Jake Kasdan

Starring: Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Catherine O'Hara, Schuyler Fisk, John Lithgow

Reviews

  • Arriving amid the traditionally withered harvest of January releases, Orange County is peachy.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • It's the new year's first happy surprise.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • It's one of those movies like "Ghost World" and "Legally Blonde" where the description can't do justice to the experience.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Even if the whole of Orange County is less than the sum of its parts, Jack Black is not the only thing to like about this movie.

    Charles Savage - Miami Herald

    26 April 2013

  • An almost successful comedy.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Breakthrough Male Performance

    MTV Movie Awards (2002)

     
  • Film - Choice Movie, Comedy

    Teen Choice Awards (2002)