Much to my surprise, this film actually wasn't bad. In fact, it had some pretty funny moments, which was a mild shock. Things start off particularly well, thanks to some fun opening credits, and the first half was especially enjoyable. Things definitely got a little too silly once the roommates started spending time with the weirdest people on campus, but it was still a fun movie that generally kept me entertained. Both leads played their characters well, the movie has a good pace, and a decent number of the jokes work, so this definitely was a pleasant surprise.
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Tito-85 October 1999
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vze3vhtf20 June 2014After having to endure the incessantly clean-cut wise ass character of Mark-Paul Gosselar in Saved By the Bell all those years, I really did not expect to see anything different in this movie, or to like it it all.
But in truth, DMoC is funny.
The script is clever, and the cast, including-yes-Gosselar, really clicks together. I really don't understand why it did not do better when it was first released in 1998.
A great movie? No.
but good enough to be a guilty pleasure? Yes.
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TOMASBBloodhound22 November 2007Anyone tempted to look down their nose at the plot which trivializes collegiate suicide will not be able to overlook one important fact: This is still a very funny film. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott play two college kids who spend too much time partying and suddenly need perfect grades to stay in school. Scott is a financially challenged student who came on an academic scholarship. Anything less than a B+ and he can kiss that scholarship goodbye. Gosselaar is a spoiled, rich party animal whose father threatens to cut him off and force him to clean toilets if he flunks out. After bombing their mid-terms, the boys need a miracle. A local in a bar tells them of a loophole in the school charter that will award anyone straight A's if their roommate dies. Since they have a spare bed now that their other roommate is always at his girlfriend's place, they decide to move in any potentially suicidal student and hope he dies. Maybe even help him do it if need be. Any hair-brained scheme like that is bound to lead to all sorts of complications, and it certainly does here. Most of them are absolutely hilarious.
The film has several funny moments and decent performances. Mark-Paul Gosselaar has always been a dependable TV actor, and he provides several laughs as Coop. Most of them involve him disturbing his more serious roommate who is always trying to study. Tom Everett Scott plays the straight man Josh. He was supposed to be the next Tom Hanks back in the 1990s. This has yet to happen, but he is likable and continues to work regularly in television. The chemistry and timing is usually right on the spot between the two. Probably the next best thing about the film is the would-be depressed British rocker they move into their suite because he seems suicidal. It turns out this guy is the epitome of the word "poser". Lochlyn Munro has some funny bits, but he might have been a little too much. Remember that John Belushi was not on the screen as much in Animal House, and that actually made him funnier. Sometimes less really is more.
There is one hell of a lot of dope smoking and drinking in this film, but that's what college is all about for some people. Coop has a bong about as tall as he is. The film tries to redeem the two main characters in the final ten minutes by giving them a serious situation to deal with. Do they redeem themselves? Well yes and no. Well, actually no. You'll have to decide for yourself. If anyone tries to tell you this movie isn't funny, don't listen. It IS funny. A gem from the previous decade all but forgotten. 7 of 10 stars.
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This comedy is fun. It's not meant to education; it's meant to entertain. Mark Paul Gosselaar shines as a comedic actor, and his talents were further evidenced after he was an NYPD Blue addition (a HUGE contrast from DMOC, obviously.) The premise is unique, and the acting was good. Yes, it may lag a bit in the 2nd act and the writing can become a tad labored, but nonetheless, this is a totally fun movie with great performances and hijinx. If you have not seen it, get a group of friends together who actually have a sense of humor, get some good eats, and have a blast.
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Flip P26 November 2002I had low expectations for "Dead Man on Campus", a MTV-produced comedy that showed all signs of being a mediocre teen flick with predictable sexual innuendo and sight gags; the only reason it ended up in my VCR was because it was either the video or studying. :)
The protagonists (serious student Tom Everett Scott and hedonistic reveller Mark-Paul Gosselaar) of the show certainly understand the horrors involved with the latter, desperately seeking a suicidal roommate to invoke the long-forgotten school rule of "roommate offs self, traumatised surviving student gets straight A's". While the ads seem to predict to a series comic situations arising from the search, the film also reveals itself to be a buddy flick, and surprisingly, a contemporary fable.
The gags are standard fare, with occassional moments of unexpected hilarity from psychotic roommate-candidate #1, played by Lochlyn Munro (Scary Movie). The theme of the film is low-brow, but the absurdity of the situations bar the audience from any feelings of guilty conscience. In addition, instead of descending into immorality, there is a surprising show of heart by both leads, the first choosing to resuscitate a friend who really does attempt suicide, and the other declaring his loyalty when the former attempts to jump off a bridge. Ultimately, that's what the theme of the film boils down to: friendship.
"Dead Man on Campus" is a affable college buddy flick disguised as gross-out-teen-gagfest, though it manages to amuse and warm the heart without being overwrought. One of the better teen movies to date. -
cptinramius11 September 2003Okay okay let me see if you saw this too.
This movie and 'The Curve' are exactally the same movie. No way you might say? I dare to compare.
Both movies involve the same plot. Two roomies who hope that their third roomate dies so they can get A's because of the 'dead roomate' policy. They both also have the one 'nice' guy attracted to some attractive girl. See thing is its so much better in 'The Curve' a darker storyline and the ending is to die for.
If you liked DMOC (Dead Man on Campus) then you should enjoy 'The Curve'
Btw they both came out in the same year. Kinda creepy huh? -
slightlymad2217 January 2015I'm not sure about all the hate, I have certainly seen worse movies. It was exactly what I was expecting. Silly fun.
Plot In A Paragraph: Josh (Tom Everett Scott) gets in to college on a scholarship, and Cooper (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is assigned as his roommate. Cooper does little work and spends all the time partying. The normally hard working Josh is led astray by Cooper's lifestyle and spends the first half of his first semester partying instead of studying, and flunks all of his mid-terms. To his horror he then finds out if he doesn't score an A+++, he will lose his scholarship. Meanwhile, Cooper's father threatens to pull his funding if he does not get a passing grade this semester. They find out about an academic rule that says that if a student's roommate commits suicide then the roommates get perfect grades for that semester, regardless of any previous academic standing. They set out to find roommates who are likely to commit suicide.
Annoying at times, ridiculous at others and yet it has darkly funny moments too. Especially Buckley Schrank, a computer nerd who thinks Bill Gates wants his brain.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar turns in a brilliant performance, that reminds me of Rob Lowe's performance in "Class" I enjoyed seeing a pre "American Pie" and "How I Met Your Mother" Alyson Hannigan in a supporting role, and her future on screen husband Jason Segel in a small role -
This movie had a very good storyline. It was just executed poorly. The actors were OK, but I thought Gosselaar was kind of annoying. The funniest part was one of the mental guys they brought in who thought Bill Gates was trying to kill him. He was pretty funny, but they didn't have him in a lot of scenes. I didn't think it was close to Animal House, but then again, it is just my opinion. I thought the ending was pretty clever and kind of funny. That's about it for me though. I won't say it's overrated like many other people, because it's just my point of view, someone else might think this is the best movie ever. I wish they would have executed it a little bit better, it may have turned out kind of like Superbad. As I said, the plot was very good. Just some better dialogue, and maybe different actors. It would be kind of cool to see something like a remake. But that usually only happens with famous movies. Anyways, pretty boring.3/10.
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MongrelMob30 May 2004This film is one of the most underrated films i have ever seen. The film follows 2 roommates Coop and Josh and there plan to have a roommate kill himself so they can achieve straight A's. Although that storyline only comes in the second half of the film for the first half we just spend the time in college with the boys. The chemistry between the 2 leads is great and Mark Paul Gosselar sort of plays his role as Zack from SBTB for a more adult audience ( which i thought was genius), his charisma meant that I was never bored.why he never broke into the A list I don't know. but its all politics. It is one of the most quotable films i have ever seen,with so many great characters The comedy here is not for everyone but if you like films which don't take themselves seriously then this is for you. The soundtrack is also great and has Dust Brother as executive producers would you believe it (they did the soundtrack for fight club among others) The icing on the cake though is Cliff O Malley the insane party Animal who really should have got more screen time, he makes every scene he is in and I was just crying with laughter, he really is a match for Bluto. This film is great to watch with a bunch of mates I give it 9/10
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raulfaust16 October 2014Movies involving campus and university are usually made for teenagers or young adults, since the thematic is basically parties, drugs and sex. However, "Dead Man on Campus", although using some of those elements, it has a different main plot. The idiosyncrasy of each character is showed all the time, delivering nice situations that happen due to the diversity of opinions that they have. Josh is a real student, whilst Cooper is a party guy who doesn't care about studying and getting prepared to the future. The acting as a whole is great, with highlights to Lochlyn Munro, who portrayed a extremely funny character. I couldn't stop laughing when he came in the scene, specially with all those unexpected screaming. The exception of great acting happens with Mark- Paul Gosselaar, whose job seemed to do a little... overacting. In the conversations scenes in the room, he seemed too conversationalist and gesticulatory for a normal dude. Also, it's interesting to notice that, albeit American society wasn't that liberal in the nineties, they've displayed Josh and Cooper as almost a couple, and they weren't antagonized for it. "Dead Man on Campus" is one of the most adult films involving college that I've ever seen, and I believe that young audience won't find it that good as I did.
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Scott H.16 March 1999How do you get your roommate to commit suicide? That was the plot of this movie. Here's a suggestion- Make them watch this movie more than once. Tom Everett Scott is capable of so much more than this crap, but I expected as much from Mark-Paul Gosselar, who graced us with 10 years of Zack Morris. The central problem in this movie is that it's bad from the start, the whole idea is pointless. You cannot gain sympathy for a character who is trying to kill another innocent person. This movie starts nowhere, gets nowhere, and takes 94 minutes doing so. Its futile attempt at comedy leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, simply because the jokes are all old and recycled. There is the obligitory drug use, giant bongs, etc...There is the romantic sub-plot that REALLY goes nowhere. There is the overly dramatic caffeine beer drug laced student tirades that leave you wondering, are there any Teachers at this college? Nothing about this movie is fresh or original, nothing about this movie is funny, nothing about this movie makes it worth watching. Rent Animal House instead, even if you've seen it 20 times before, it's better than this! And to see a GOOD job of acting by Tom Everett Scott, rent That Thing You Do.
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millamarbles25 November 2004I rented this with my friend one night, some years ago, I still consider it the best comedy I've seen in my entire life. We were literally in pain all through out the film, we laughed so hard that for most of the movie we were on the floor holding our stomachs! Then we watched it again right after and then the next day and laughed as hard as the first time. I remember Mark-Paul Gosselaar from Saved By The Bell, I had no idea he could be this funny. The cast is diverse and completely wild, especially the possibly-suicidal-roommate candidates that the two main characters are trying to lure to stay with them. Corey Page (from Heartbreak High) is completely phenomenal as the over-the-top angsty, brooding goth-rocker Matt and Lochlyn Munro (Charmed) is just too much as the crazy frat guy Cliff, these two guys gave us the best laughs. Also I liked the relationship between the main characters, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott. It's that kind of "lets go do something stupid together" kind of thing and you can also see they really care about each other. As a hilarious comedy, the movie also has a little depth to it towards the end, which i really liked.
Also for Buffy fans there is Alyson Hannigan who is a great comedic actor as you can see from the American Pie-movies and of course from Buffy.
If you like the Pauly Shore-type of humor, and crazy ideas and general crazyness, you should love this film. There wasn't a moment during, that I wasn't completely thrilled to be watching it. I give it 10+! -
This movie wasn't meant to be great. It's a good thing too, since it doesn't even come close. It is, however, an amusing comedy and a pretty accurate if farcical portrayal of freshman year at college. It relies on the old urban legend concerning roommate suicide and the benefits that can be reaped from it, which technically classifies it as a dark comedy I suppose. It still strays from the macabre and sticks with the slapstick. Mark-Paul Gosselaar portrayal of Scott Cooper has a "Zack Morris on crystal meth" feel to it. The movie is definitely worth the cost of rental and if you can remember your freshman year you'll enjoy yourself. For your own good don't allow yourself to be the person who goes into such a movie expecting cinematic brilliance. Go in wanting to laugh. You should succeed in that.
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Nomad-729 September 2001The plot idea is terrific, but the writer, director, actors, etc. botched it beyond the measure of human endurance. There is nothing funny in the movie. There is nothing believable. There is nothing to relate to.
There were plenty of opportunities for female nudity, either to further the plot or just gratuitous, which would have been at least one reason to see the movie, but they were all missed.
This shameful excuse for a movie is an embarrassment to humanity. Hollywood
should disown all the people involved with the movie in any way. -
billybrown418 November 2001I'm an idiot. I loved this movie. Not only did I watch it MORE than once, I bought the DVD so now I have the benefit of watching this highly underrated piece of trash anytime I want. Let me do a brief description of Dead Man on Campus for those out there who don't know: An uptight med-student Scott (Werewolf in Paris) moves in with constantly partying Gossellar (you guessed it, Saved by the Bell) and starts to loosen up a bit. In the midst of all the all-night beer blasts and sex, the two start flunking out. They hear from a drunk, that if a roomate kills himself, then the other will be awarded a 4.0 grade-average. So starts the search for a suicidal roommate.
Now the premise is nowhere near as funny as it thinks, but what really gives this one staying power is its assortment of characters. Everyone loves Cliff O'Malley and his "I got some beers....Let's drink em'!!!" and who can ever forget the pseudo, British goth-boy Matt Noonan. His hairbrush scene is a riot and worth a rental in itself.
This is a no-brainer movie people and it's exactly what you would expect from an MTV production. The only thing missing is the gratutitus nudity that was so prevalent in the slew of college party-comedies of the 80s. What the hell, you can't have everything right? This one has almost enough laughs to make up for it. Call the boys over, crack open some Coors and laugh your ass off. -
alien_hippie_lady24 August 2000Don't expect too much and you are going to laugh yourself out. It's unreal but still it's funny and many of the ideas are worth it (like the depressed rock star-poser). Tom E. S. is hot, too. My little brother just loved it.
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Rooster993 March 2005This film had some funny lines in it, but for the most part is one of those films you won't remember any of the lines from the next day, and a month later will have you wondering if you saw it or not at the video store. Some of the funny scenes were likely unintentional, such as having a bunch of actors nearing 30 playing 18 year olds. One of them even gets carded at a bar and pulls out a long succession of fake ID yet it is obvious he is over 21. Probably the funniest scenes involved the crazy roommate, such as when he pulls out a gun and starts shooting at the police during a high speed chase, "They hate it when you do this". But other than that, it was a good idea wasted on a boring script.
It has it's moments, so it is a good time waster. But it is no where near as funny as other College movies such as Animal House. The jokes often seem tired and overdone, there was very little unexpected humour. Many of the lines are telegraphed from a mile away. Ho hum, not really a bad movie, just not a memorable one.
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ej_hansen22 January 2000This is a pretty good one. I really bought into the performance of Lochlyn Munro as the crazy guy, Cliff. Both stars had excellent performances which turned this relatively low budget film into great one for the college crowd.
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gbheron22 February 2001"Dead Man on Campus" is not just an unfunny comedy; it's a disturbing comedy. The two protagonists are college freshmen, one a spoiled rich hell-raiser, the other a studious type on an academic scholarship. Of course, their lifestyles collide and the reprobate rich kid wins out, corrupting his roommate. Soon they are both on the verge of flunking out, and their only salvation is if one of their roommates commits suicide. Then the survivors get a 4.0 for their grief. Since neither of them wants to do it, and they have an empty bed in their dormitory suite, they look for a depressed underclassman to befriend, and then try to push over the brink. I believe that this is a very serious offense (like murder), but "Dead Man on Campus" plays it for laughs. And fails miserably. So not only is this movie humorless, it is amoral. It's also made by MTV which is not surprising. Avoid this mess at all costs.
Also note that the IMDb Plot Outline "If your roommate dies you get straight A's for your grief. So a college student fakes suicide and his roommates cash in on it" is wrong. The two murderous protagonists want their roommates to REALLY kill themselves. There's no faking to it. Funny it's not. -
Brian200517 April 2005I started to watch this movie not expecting anything other than a few laughs. It turned out to be a lot more, Hilarious is the word I'm looking for. Basic plot revolves around 2 collage students, both roommates, one is smart(Josh) and wants to do the best he can in his exams, he studies and doesn't party. The other(Cooper) is intent on doing no work, doesn't go to his classes, likes his bong and late night party's. Cooper slowly pulls Josh into his world of Partys and Beer and it starts to show on his Collage work. Then comes the wacky loophole that if they have a roommate that commits suicide then there other roommates automatically pass there exams. Now, Enter the wacky roommates, handpicked by Cooper and Josh, that are all "on the edge". The rest will have your sides splitting. All the Characters play their parts well, especially the insane roommates, but none more so than Cliff. He steals the show and whenever the film was getting boring and uninteresting, he would pop back up and bring this hilarious comedy back to life. Typical Teenage comedy packed with laughs but a rather far fetched plot, Cliff's wacky ways of dealing with cop car chases and putting out hair fires make this stand out above most.
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ivana-731 August 1999I went to see this movie because of the two very cute leading actors but I left the cinema liking the movie because of Cliff. This movie would not be funny if it wasnt for him. Hes a total maniac and what he does makes him a total jackass but its FUNNY. Overall this movie has an interesting story, 2 cute actors and one funny jackass. And because all of that, this movie is good.
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Meredith-71 April 2003The idea for this was great, the story was absolutely terrible (but it didn't need to be). The first half was fine until they starting introducing the suicidal contenders...this should have supplied this lacklustre film with it's finest moments, but it just dragged it down instead. The pseudo trouble rocker was O.K, the computer genius/nerd was under utilised but the crazy guy was really annoying. Watch at own risk!
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chrisbrown64535 September 2000Dead man on Campus is one of those movies that need not be taken seriously. As with all Mtv production films, it is completely full of stupid jokes and played out clichés. However, in this case, the casting of Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do & American Werewolf in Paris) was a brilliant choice.
Gosselaar plays Cooper Frederickson, a wise ass, no studying slacker who goes to college only to distance himself from his toilet-cleaning father. Josh Miller (Scott) is Cooper's roommate who is studying to become a doctor. At first he is all about studying, but very soon after meeting up with Cooper, all those studying thoughts drifted away. Cooper and Josh party like all the other 33% of college students, and forget all about studying.
After Josh fails his mid-terms, he finds out that there is absolutely no possible way for him to accumulate the B+ average to keep his scholarship. With the help of a patron of the local bar, Cooper and Josh devise a plan to move a suicidal student into their room so that when he kills himself, they will receive straight A's.
The film shows Josh and Cooper `testing' a few students and trying to get them to kill themselves. There are many scenes of this movie that had me laughing hysterically on the floor. Lochlyn Munro (Scary Movie & Night at the Roxbury) plays Cliff, a crazy, partier who looks like he is about to do something stupid and get himself killed. He is so funny in this movie!
I like this movie very much, and not just because some of it, the scenes on the bridge, were filmed about 3 blocks from my house in Modesto, Ca., but because it stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It is very unclear to me why his career has never taken off after Saved by the Bell. I hope to see him more in the years to come. This movie should definitely be watched by anyone attending college and thinks that their grades are bad. -
nosoup9923 September 1998I actually thought that the movie looked good from the ads on tv but I was WRONG, IT WAS TERRIBLE. I'm sorry for anyone who liked it but it was definitely overrated. Except for Mark Paul Gosselaar and Lochlyn Monroe the rest of the cast did not do a good job of acting. Actually, Tom Everett Scott's role should have been casted to someone else because he stunk up the whole movie. The story line itself was a stupid subject but with the right actors it might have turned out right, like There's Something About Mary. However, because of bad casting, the movie was nothing like There's Something About Mary. It wasn't very funny or interesting. Even the beginning credits and opening scene almost made me get up and leave. I thought it was the dumbest and most boring way to open up a movie. It was a cute idea, but it wasn't done right.