Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

  • Starring: Colin Hanks, Jack Black
  • Summary: When his guidance counselor accidentally sends the wrong transcript with his application to Stanford, a smart high school senior (Hanks) must scramble to prove he deserves to be admitted.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 28
  2. Negative: 6 out of 28
  1. Arriving amid the traditionally withered harvest of January releases, Orange County is peachy.
  2. 80
    It's the new year's first happy surprise.
  3. 60
    Not only harmless, but actually quite funny and charming.
  4. Black delivers the best line (“Do you want me to get naked and start the revolution?”), and Lithgow scores a giggle for calling his ex-wife “coyote ugly” to her face, but neither of them can disguise this lemon.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. If it wasn't fore Jack Black, I would of given this a 6. The story follows Sean Brumder, an aspiring writer living Orange County. After seeing how much life his family and his friends are sucking out of him, He tries to aply to Stanford university but after a mix up with the transcript, He, His girlfriend and his junkie brother set off on a road trip to tell the Dean of Admissions (played by the Hilarious Harold Ramis) that it was a mix up. Support cast is hilarious even though the script falls flat a bit. Theres even a few great cameos from Chevy Chase and Kevin Kiline, Catherine O'Hara plays the best distrought mother and Jack Black steals the show. All and all an enjoyable if dated movie. Expand
  2. JackH.
    8
    Jack Black saved this movie! One of his best roles ever. So many classic quotes, such as "She said, I'm gonna burn this mother down! And I'm like, you better not, you, you better not!,". Expand
  3. TomL
    7
    Orange County is a movie about a kid trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. After the passing of one of his friends he abandons his old easy going surfer life style stereo typical of where he is from (orange county) and dedicates his life to writing. His goal was to go to Stanford and escape the dysfunctional home and town he grew up in. The movie starts out kind of stupid, but Jack Black was kind of funny in his same old roll as a fat crazy guy. The main character and his crazy day sort of reminded me of a mix of the catcher in the rye and Ferris Bueller's day off. For some reason I just enjoyed watching the movie and it seemed like a good length, with a good beginning, middle, and end. Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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