Stealing Harvard

2002 "Their intentions were honorable. Their methods were criminal."
5.1| 1h25m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 13 September 2002 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

John and his girlfriend have vowed to marry once they save $30,000 for their dream house. But the minute they achieve their financial goal, John finds out his niece has been accepted at Harvard, and he's reminded of his promise to pay for her tuition (nearly $30,000). John's friend Duff convinces him to turn to petty crime to make the payment … but Duff's hare-brained schemes spin quickly out of control.

Genre

Drama, Action, Comedy

Watch Online

Stealing Harvard (2002) is now streaming with subscription on Max

Director

Bruce McCulloch

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime.
Watch Now
Stealing Harvard Videos and Images
View All
  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Stealing Harvard Audience Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
gavin6942 A middle-class man (Jason Lee) turns to a life of crime in order to finance his niece's first year at Harvard University.Jason Lee is awesome here, playing a slightly cleaned up version of Brodie Bruce, his character from "Mallrats". (Heck, he even talks about "spooning" in both.) He has the same voice and similar comments, leading me to think he improvised (though some great lines -- like "lot of money, but it's a lot of chair" -- are obviously from the script).Other great actors appear, including Bill from "Freaks and Geeks", John C. McGinley and Richard Jenkins. Tom Green was nominated for a Razzie, though if you look back now, this was probably not deserving of that nod (though I confess Green's style of humor is not for everyone).
Mr_Censored The plot is as simple as the film itself: John (Jason Lee) once made a promise to his niece that if she ever got accepted to college, he would pay her way. When the time arrives, he finds himself broke, and resorts to asking his loser buddy, Duff (Tom Green), for help. Clichés and hi-jinks ensue.The film is surprisingly sterilized, especially when you consider its two stars: Jason Lee, a Kevin Smith alum, and Tom Green, the gross-out king who wrote, directed and starred in "Freddy Got Fingered." Lee is likable and congenial, if a bit soft, while Green relies more on physical humor and less on substance. He utters a few humorous lines here and there, but he is, in essence, just a prop. There are several other talented comedic actors such as Leslie Mann ("Big Daddy"), Megan Mullally (TV's "Will & Grace"), John C. McGinley (TV's "Scrubs") and of course, the amazing Martin Starr (TV's "Freaks & Geeks") who help keep the film fresh and funny, but unfortunately there's just not enough of them. The film is stacked with great and hilarious actors, but rarely takes advantage of this fact. As far as the humor goes, it forgoes the gross-out comedy of the time in an effort to yield rather tame and inoffensive results. And in its brief 82 minutes, it works. "Stealing Harvard" is hardly a classic, but if one were to sit down on a dead Sunday afternoon, kick back and relax with few expectations, it works. You'll likely get a few solid chuckles out of it, and it's innocent and simplistic plot makes for a good "turning off the brain" time.
vchimpanzee John Plummer is engaged to Elaine, who makes baskets for special occasions. John works for Elaine's father at Homespital, a medical supply company. John and Elaine finally have saved $30,000, enough money to buy a house.But there is a problem. Years ago, John made a promise to his niece Noreen, whose mother Patty is considered "trailer trash" (the term is used in the movie), and whose father is unknown. Noreen was eliminated early in a spelling bee, and John told her she wasn't dumb. In fact, he said he would pay for Noreen's college education. And the promise is preserved on videotape.Surprise! Noreen has been accepted to Harvard. And she is getting financial aid and she has saved money from her job handling cattle carcasses. So she only needs ... guess how much? John can't tell Elaine they can't buy a house. And her father doesn't respect him as it is. So John turns to his friend Duff, a landscaper who still lives with his mother. John has some ideas, but they generally involve breaking the law. For example, Duff's Uncle Jack runs a liquor store and has lots of money collected from selling lottery tickets, guarded by a clerk who supposedly offers no threat from anyone wanting to steal it. And David Loach was a former classmate and a loser, but he seems to have money to lend, and a bunch of goons to make sure he is repaid. Where does he get his money? Well, you'll find out ONE way ...And Duff's client who won't lock his safe (what was his landscaper doing INSIDE the house?) and who misses his late wife. This is good for some of the raunchiest but also funniest gags in the whole movie.I think a lot of people will consider Tom Green and John McGinley to be the standout performers in this movie. I don't like either of them, but they both do quite a good job. So does Dennis Farina.Elaine is not a pleasant character for the most part, but when she gets excited, she's really quirky. Plus she's pretty. John is normal, and I wouldn't have even recognized Jason Lee without the mustache he had in a flashback. He's just mostly there, and not that much like Earl Hickey. Earl is a loser who had to turn to crime when he didn't have a job, and ... wait a minute. But, wait, see, John Plummer has a job, and he doesn't NEED to commit crimes. The important thing is that Green and Lee are often hilarious together, a couple of bumbling idiots."Will and Grace" fans need not watch for Megan Mullally, because Patty is nothing like Karen. They might still like her and the movie for other reasons. Actually, I can think of one big reason ...There is one tender scene related to the fact that Patty and John lost their parents when John was 18. The movie opens with scenes from that time in John's life, and the funeral scene makes more sense after the scene with the two of them later.Martin Starr is really funny as the liquor store clerk who was more savvy than our heroes may have expected.It could have been better, but I was mostly happy. Where this is funny, it's really funny. And you must be able to handle crude humor. One more thing: I usually stay around until the credits end because I often like to see what songs were used. In this movie, you absolutely must watch until the very end for the outtakes. Some of them are hilarious.
jtindahouse If it wasn't for Tom Green this movie would really be embarrassing (especially when you consider that even with him it was slightly embarrassing). The acting was just really bad and made it hard to laugh even at the clever jokes. There was nothing original being introduced and the unoriginal material wasn't better than it's originals in any way at all. Tom Green gives this movie a little kick with his brilliance but even he can't save something this butchered. The court seen near the end could have had so much more done with it but it was as if they had only been granted enough time to shoot the scene.Don't pay money to watch this movie. If it comes on TV and there is absolutely nothing else even half decent on watch it, but just for Tom Green.