Sorority Boys
Starring: Michael Rosenbaum, Melissa Sagemiller, Barry Watson, Harland Williams
Directed by: Wallace Wolodarsky
Rated: R for nudity, sexual humor and situations, brief drug use, some violence.
Notes for Parents: This is a gross-out comedy, and as such is appropriate and aimed at chiefly for older teens. Sexual situations, drug use, and various offensive jokes all play a large part and make the film inappropriate for most younger folks.
“Sorority Boys” is a film much like an old 17th-century sex farce, but with less plot and more potty jokes. The tale of three frat boys who must dress as girls until they can be reinstated in their fraternity is simple-minded at best, but highly entertaining to those with the right sense of humor.
Adam (Michael Rosenbaum of “Smallville”), Dave (Barry Watson of “7th Heaven”), and Doofer (Harland Williams) are the life of every party at the Kappa Omicron Kappa (KOK, get it?) house until they are framed for embezzlement and thrown out of both the brotherhood and the frat house. While figuring out how to get reinstated, they infiltrate the Delta Omicron Gamma (DOG, of course) sorority so they’ll have a place to stay while they’re in hiding.
Nearly everything in the film is unsurprising, from the romance that blossoms between Dave and DOG leader Leah (Melissa Sagemiller) to the way the DOGs pull together to win the sorority football match. What is surprising, however, is that in between the predictable and the preachy are some great laughs and a lot of highly entertaining shenanigans.
Rosenbaum, Watson, and Williams take to their roles like wet tshirts to a beach gal’s bosom. Watson even looks pretty good in drag, with the help of some good makeup and a costuming department with some taste. Rosenbaum and Williams don’t fare as well in the appearances department, since much of their characters’ humor revolves around being unattractive women, but they dive into their parts with gusto. These roles are not particularly challenging, but the trio of actors certainly appear to be having a great time.
As with most gross-out comedies, there’s something here to offend almost everyone. There’s also something to make just about everyone cheer and laugh wildly. Whether the former outweighs the latter or not will depend on the person. The precarious balance between the two helps explain the mixed, but always strong, reaction “Sorority Boys” has been getting from viewers and reviewers alike.
“Sorority Boys” is neither original nor particularly clever, but it packs a lot of energy and quite a bit of guilty pleasure for anyone who’s ever hated a frat or sorority, or wanted to see a bunch misogynist jerks get a taste of their own medicine.