Dead Man on Campus (1998)

Director:

Alan Cohn

Writers (WGA):

Anthony Abrams (story) &
Adam Larson Broder (story) ...

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Roommate Wanted...For a Limited Time Only

Plot:

Two college roommates go out and party, resulting in bad grades. They learn of the clause that says, "If your roommate dies, you get an A," and decide to find someone who is on the verge, so to speak, to move in with them.

Plot Keywords:

Roommate | College | Student | Party | College Roommate

Cast

Tom Everett Scott	...	Josh
Mark-Paul Gosselaar	...	Cooper
Poppy Montgomery	...	Rachel
Lochlyn Munro	...	Cliff
Randy Pearlstein	...	Buckley
Corey Page	...	Matt
Alyson Hannigan	...	Lucy
Mari Morrow	...	Kristin
Dave Ruby	...	Zeke
Mark Carapezza	...	Hank
Jeff Tarpley	...	Jerry (as Jeff T)
Jason Segel	...	Kyle
Linda Cardellini	...	Kelly
Aeryk Egan	...	Pickle
Judyann Elder	...	Guidance Counselor

MPAA:

Rated R for drug use, language and crude sexual humor.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Netherlands:6 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #35770) | Norway:15 (TV rating) | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

7th Street Bridge, Modesto, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

To boost ticket sales for this film in the theater, its US release was timed with the start of the new college school year in late August 1998.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Cooper breaks into the Admin building to steal the student records, he approaches a filing cabinet and tries to open it and says it's locked. However, the lock on the filing cabinet at the top is ejected, which is an indication that the file cabinet drawers are unlocked. If the cabinet was truly locked, the lock would have been pushed in. However, this could be deliberate - Cooper isn't exactly the brightest bulb; it's possible he just doesn't know how to properly open a file cabinet.

Quotes:

[handing back a trophy]
Cooper Frederickson: Here's your dildo.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in V.C.R. (2008)

Soundtrack:

Empty Ships

Great Stress Relief

I own this movie and watch it several times a year. Why? Because when you are studying for exams you wish your school had a policy like this (and you could fake a death because who really wants a roommate to die?)

I find people are over-analyzing, and you have to take any movie with a grain of salt. All movies require a suspension of disbelief, as much of this is unbelievable, but it's a freakin' comedy! Not a statement on life. It pokes fun at a situation where many of us have been: most of us go through a slacker phase where the world is just too tough and you have to forget, just relax a little... still don't get how if we all need this there are still so many consequences but I digress.

Most of the intelligent stuff has been said already so I won't bore you by repeating the same sentiments. However, I do recommend this movie for when you can't get papers/exams out of your mind but you still need a break (or if you just feel like reliving that part of your life). It's better than "The Perfect Score" but that movie is also good for study breaks.