National Lampoon's Pledge This! DVD Review

At South Beach University, queen of the Gamma Gamma sorority Victoria English (Hilton) ruled over the Miami campus. Here dream was to appear as sorority of the year in FHM magazine but to gain that illustrious honour she has to prove that Gamma Gamma is a diversified sorority. To achieve this she takes on a group of college misfits but she is determined to make their lives hell.

With an illustrious comedy heritage, National Lampoon has become recognized as a name associated with big laughs and classic characters but can ‘Pledge This!’ adhere to the reputation of the name?

The National Lampoon moniker started as a humour magazine in 1970. With its roots spreading from Harvard University, the magazine became known for its skewed take on politics and pop culture of the era. The magazine then spread into the theatre and then into film, producing comedy classics like ‘Animal House’ and ‘Vacation’ with stars James Belushi, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. The brand produced a long line of film from then on but over time they lost their way and all anticipation for any upcoming movie was lost. The success of the Ryan Reynolds’ movie ‘National Lampoon’s Van Wilder’ brought attention back to the name however but could they keep it up. If ‘Pledge This!’ is how they are going to go then the answer is a definite no!

Returning to a college campus may sound like a great move for ‘National Lampoon’ after creating the best movie in the genre in ‘Animal House’ but ‘Pledge This!’ is just a complete mess. Having society darling and all round ‘IT’ girl Paris Hilton as your star is the first mistake and then when you throw in a laughably bad script and things just go from bad to worst. The jokes are basic, the performances are awful and the whole premise is laughable bad, making it the biggest joke of all.

Whoever told Paris Hilton she can act needs their head examined. She might have a hit reality show under her belt but that doesn’t mean she can actually act. As Victoria English she is basically playing herself, an attention seeking rich girl who want to run everyone’s life. So the role shouldn’t be that taxing for her but she is completely wooden. The rest of the cast are not much better, full of stereotypes and basic characters that are just as wooden as the star.

‘Pledge This!’ is a truly dreadful movie that is devoid of comedy and any talent. The biggest laugh you will get is how awful this film actually is. Paris Hilton should give up while can and return to the pages of magazines and newspapers were she belongs.

Star Rating = *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Making of Featurette