Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Accepted Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 12, 2021

Recently, backroom whispers have turned to a more mainstream shift in thinking about the true value of a college education. Accepted begins as its main character cannot get into any college, and he tells his disappointed parents that maybe the smart financial move is for him to enter the work force fresh out of high school and start earning money and experience rather than spend several years of salary on the degree. What was a joke in 2006 is becoming an increasingly viable option in 2021. While the shift has been more subtle than seismic, the outrageous tuitions and the high price of living, not to mention the decreasing value of a college education (particularly in the liberal arts), has made many begin to believe more in the value of an honest trade and less everything that is involved in earning that diploma. Accepted focuses less on the value of college and more its generalized importance as a perception of advancement and success, and it does so in a humorous way. The picture is fun and lively and in some ways prescient about the shifting cost-benefit analysis of a college education.

Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long) is a graduating high school senior who specializes in smart mouthing the faculty and working his computer magic to make fake IDs for his fellow students. He’s also at a crossroads. He’s received a pile of rejection letters from various colleges and not a single acceptance notice. Even his “safety school,” his “failsafe,” has failed him. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life. His parent are beyond upset and disappointed with him, but he suddenly has an epiphany: if he can’t get into college, he’ll make up his own college. He forges an acceptance letter from “South Harmon Institute of Technology,” a fictitious institute of higher learning born of his own imagination. He enlists his best friend Sherman's (Jonah Hill) help in building a website he can sell to his parents. When Bartleby’s parents (Mark Derwin, Ann Cusack) insist on taking him to move-in day, Bartleby and his friends are forced to use his tuition check to refurbish an old psychiatric hospital, located near the “real” Harmon College, to serve as a presentable, if not makeshift, campus.

The project is is a success. While Bartelby’s parents are sold on the school, his sharp and inquisitive younger sister Lizzie (Hannah Marks) is not. But “B” has bigger problems. Word of the school gets out fast. Sherman’s website grants admittance to anyone who applies. The students and the money start pouring in and Bartleby finds himself the de factor dean, even as he hires a stand-in, Ben Lewis (Lewis Black), to trick his parents in that very role. The school thrives, but its very existence comes into immediate danger when the real Harmon’s dean (Anthony Heald) plans to secure nearby property – including the psychiatric hospital Bartleby has commandeered for the façade – to build a proper entryway in hopes of gaining ground on the Ivy League schools.

Accepted earns surprisingly high marks for charm, wit, and even a hint of a beating heart at its center. The film doesn't rewrite any teen comedy rules, but it does approach them from a different perspective, grounding its characters in difficult realities and exploring their perceived failures which they turn around and transform with newfound creative energy. The students at South Harmon may not be the most book smart, but they are a driven bunch and allowed to take the chances and experience the freedoms they need to find themselves. The cast is plenty enthusiastic, even as the movie trims down on some of the partying and raunchiness in favor of a more levelheaded story about finding one's place and purpose in life, even if the former need be manufactured to accommodate the latter. Long is terrific in the lead, bringing a perfect character balance to every scene, laudable particularly as his Bartleby matures in a leadership position at the school. He brings equal parts charm, heart, and drive the part, helped enormously by a script that doesn't automatically reduce its characters to the lowest common denominator in order to facilitate the typical gross-out gags and sex jokes, which are present but take a backseat to the comedically infused dramatic currents.

Accepted Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek's rock-solid Blu-ray release of Accepted looks quite nice and helps -- if even just a little bit -- to assuage the sting of the studio's other miserable looking January catalogue titles (The Freshman, Like Father Like Son, and to a lesser extent Crossroads). Accepted was shot on film and the transfer retains a natural grain structure. It's light, organic, and complimentary, helping to bring the movie in its natural state to the screen. Details satisfy across the board. The picture is sharp and pleasing, revealing every core element -- faces, clothes, and the makeshift school -- particularly in its dilapidated state -- with effortless sharpness and definition. Colors are bold and the palette is well saturated. The image is lively start to finish. Clothes pop off the screen with impressive dynamic depth. Natural greens are bold, skin tones ae healthy, and black levels are deep. There are practically no signs of print damage and no obvious encode shortcomings beyond a light noisy looking background at a frat party at the 51-minute mark. For this one, Mill Creek delivers. Fans are going to be very happy.

Accepted Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Accepted earns high marks for its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation accommodates all needs with well rounded audio definition. Music plays with natural, effortless width. Detail is strong through the range and sound elements fold into the rear channels in fine balance. The low end is not worked hard in most instances (a burst of Hard Rock music in the 59-minute mark being a notable exception), but its musical support is integral, even if somewhat light. Some "action" effects -- big splashes into water, an explosion in a kitchen -- enjoy a modest low end extension and plenty of stage-filling vigor. Light atmosphere is in short supply, but rowdy crowd din at a concert at the 60-minute mark is not at all wanting for more organic, filling, and detailed crowd immersion. Dialogue delivery is clear and well prioritized. It's firmly positioned in the front-center speaker.

Accepted Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Accepted contains an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and featurettes. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Steve Pink and Actors Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Lewis Black, and Adam Herschman humorously break down the movie's story, characters, life on the set, and more.
• Adam's Accepted Chronicles (480i, 11:02): A humorous look at Thespian Adam Herschman's prep work for his demanding role in Accepted.
• The Making of Accepted (480i, 10:10): Exploring Steve Pink's directorial work, story details, creativity on the set, cast and performances, and more.
• Campus Tour (480i, multiple runtimes): Quick burst and non-selectable scenes that look at skateboarding on campus, a pool scene, a concert, refurbishing the hospital, and frat house shenanigans.
• Deleted Scenes (480i, 12:59): Several scenes with no identifying markers.
• Gag Reel (480i, 8:12): Humorous moments from the shoot.

Accepted Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Accepted earns a passing grade for building a more than serviceable entertainer. The movie is witty and even a little smart, well balanced, and not so perverse as to lose sight of its story. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is very sound, delivering quality video and audio presentations and a perfectly healthy allotment of bonus content. Recommended.