Where to watch PCU
2 1/2 Stars
A high school senior comes to visit Port Chester (aka Politically Correct U) for the weekend, and the admissions department mistakenly sets him up to stay with Droz, a seven year student and party-animal who lives in The Pit, the most offensive house on campus. After trying to pawn the pre-freshman off on his house mate, Droz sets off on his normal daily activities including disrupting a political protest by throwing meat at a group of vegan protesters. The President of the University then receives a number of complaints, and with the help of her lackey, she may finally have the power to kick Droz’s house off campus. But the Pit throws an all-campus rager where George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic performs, and everything might turn out alright if the various political groups can forget their protests for one night and just have fun together.
PCU is a breakneck-paced comedy that parodies university social politics and movies about college. Jeremy Piven, unfairly compared to John Belushi by critics at the time, is very effective as the film’s guide into the subcultures on a fictional campus populated by a segmented and divided student body. Chris Young is the bright-eyed high school senior touring the school who becomes entangled with Piven and the extreme groups perpetually protesting something.
Hart Bochner, the actor who portrayed the beloved rascal Ellis from Die Hard, does just fine telling the story by Adam Leff and Zak Penn, who had become infamous from their involvement with the Schwarzenegger flop The Last Action Hero. Their script lampoons the insanity of the politically correct era, which was a forerunner to the Woke era that just passed. PCU is almost good enough to recommend, but even at 80 minutes in length, the film feels unfinished and hurried into release. Jeremy Piven’s intense acting style is appropriate for his role in PCU, yet he looks too old to be the Van Wilder of the 90’s, but his hyper-verbal and dismissive attitude is similar to what Vince Vaughn would do with Swingers. PCU is a buried film from 1994 that is both dated and eerily timely.
Directed by: Hart Bochner
Written by: Adam Leff, Zak Penn
Starring: Jeremy Piven, Chris Young, Megan Ward