Dead Man on Campus (film)
Encyclopedia
Dead Man on Campus is a 1998 comedy film starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar
and Tom Everett Scott
. It centers on the urban legend
that a student gets straight A's
if his or her roommate
commits suicide
(see pass by catastrophe
). Two friends attempt to find a depressed
roommate
in order to push him over the edge and receive A's.
To boost ticket sales in the theater, the film's US release was timed with the start of the new college school year in late August 1998. It is the first film by MTV Films
to have an R rating (the first two films - Joe's Apartment
and Beavis and Butt-head Do America
- had PG-13 ratings). The film was shot at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
. The Curve, also known as Dead Man's Curve, which came out in the same year, uses a similar plotline.
The movie has since gone out of print.
) gets in to college on a scholarship, and Cooper (Mark-Paul Gosselaar
) is assigned as his roommate. Cooper does little work and instead spends all the time partying and consistently fails his course, but his father continues to fund him through college. The normally studious Josh is led astray by Cooper's lifestyle and spends the first half of his first semester partying instead of studying, and consequently flunks his mid-term paper. To his horror he then finds out that a condition of his scholarship is a passing grade average each semester, and that with his poor mid-term score he needs an A+++ in his end of term paper or he'll lose his scholarship. Meanwhile Cooper's father finally realizes Cooper is not trying to pass his course at all and threatens to pull his funding if he does not get a passing grade this semester, leaving him in a similar position.
They find out about an obscure academic rule that states 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; their first potential roommate, Cliff O'Malley (Lochlyn Munro
), is more likely to get himself (and any one with him) killed than commit suicide. After Josh and Cooper get him to move in, they eventually kick him out.
Next they try Buckley Schrank (Randy Pearlstein), a computer geek who thinks Bill Gates
wants his brain. After they move Buckley in, they try to help push him over the edge. First, Cooper poses as a suicide hotline volunteer, and when Buckley calls, he tells him that he's Bill Gates and wants his brain. Then, Josh and Cooper stock their dorm room with equipment that may assist in a suicide (rope, daggers, prescription drugs). Seeing this, Buckley thinks that they're trying to kill him, and believing that the conspiracy to kill him and steal his brain is real, he runs away.
Finally, Josh and Cooper move in Matt Noonan (Corey Page
), a moody rock musician who talks about the futility of life. Later, Cooper catches him singing show tunes and learns he was voted Mr. Happy in high school, leading them to believe that he is only pretending to be depressed to impress girls and make a name for himself in music. After all the time wasted on trying to find a suicidal person instead of studying, Josh and Cooper become agitated.
Facing the loss of his scholarship Josh stands on the edge of a bridge, about to commit suicide himself. Cooper tells Josh he is not a failure and talks him down. When Josh comes down from the bridge he reveals to Cooper that he was faking his suicide attempt so the school wouldn't fail him, and Cooper would look like a hero to his father. The film ends with Josh narrating that he was given an additional semester to improve his grades, in which he saved his scholarship
, and that Cooper became a more serious student, but did work summers cleaning toilets for his father's business to learn how to eventually take over.
. The New York Times
said the film was "predictably dumb", but praised Mark-Paul Gosselaar's performance, saying; "Mr. Gosselaar is so good, however, that his performance as Cooper sometimes overrides the film's adolescent tone."
The film was made on a $14 million budget, and grossed $15,064,946 domestically, making it a moderate box office success.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
and Tom Everett Scott
Tom Everett Scott
Thomas "Tom" Everett Scott is an American film, theatre and television actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film That Thing You Do! .-Career:...
. It centers on the urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that a student gets straight A's
Academic grading in the United States
Academic grading in the United States most commonly takes on the form of five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest. In the mid-twentieth century, many American educational institutions—especially in the Midwest —began...
if his or her roommate
Roommate
A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
(see pass by catastrophe
Pass by catastrophe
Pass by catastrophe refers to any number of popular urban legends in academia claiming that if some particular catastrophic event occurs, students whose performance could have been affected by the event are automatically awarded passing grades on the grounds that there would then be no way to...
). Two friends attempt to find a depressed
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
roommate
Roommate
A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
in order to push him over the edge and receive A's.
To boost ticket sales in the theater, the film's US release was timed with the start of the new college school year in late August 1998. It is the first film by MTV Films
MTV Films
MTV Films is the motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. Founded in 1996, it has produced films based on MTV programs such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Jackass: The Movie, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division...
to have an R rating (the first two films - Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment is a 1996 musical-serio-comedy film starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward and the first film produced by MTV Films. It was based on a 1992 short film first made for MTV , but was also inspired by both the 1987 Japanese film Gokiburi-tachi No Tasogare and...
and Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
- had PG-13 ratings). The film was shot at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. The Curve, also known as Dead Man's Curve, which came out in the same year, uses a similar plotline.
The movie has since gone out of print.
Plot
Josh (Tom Everett ScottTom Everett Scott
Thomas "Tom" Everett Scott is an American film, theatre and television actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film That Thing You Do! .-Career:...
) gets in to college on a scholarship, and Cooper (Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
) is assigned as his roommate. Cooper does little work and instead spends all the time partying and consistently fails his course, but his father continues to fund him through college. The normally studious Josh is led astray by Cooper's lifestyle and spends the first half of his first semester partying instead of studying, and consequently flunks his mid-term paper. To his horror he then finds out that a condition of his scholarship is a passing grade average each semester, and that with his poor mid-term score he needs an A+++ in his end of term paper or he'll lose his scholarship. Meanwhile Cooper's father finally realizes Cooper is not trying to pass his course at all and threatens to pull his funding if he does not get a passing grade this semester, leaving him in a similar position.
They find out about an obscure academic rule that states 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; their first potential roommate, Cliff O'Malley (Lochlyn Munro
Lochlyn Munro
Richard Laughlain "Lochlyn" Munro is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Munro was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia. He started his acting career after a serious sports injury ended his dream of playing professional hockey. While playing music in various clubs around Vancouver, British...
), is more likely to get himself (and any one with him) killed than commit suicide. After Josh and Cooper get him to move in, they eventually kick him out.
Next they try Buckley Schrank (Randy Pearlstein), a computer geek who thinks Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
wants his brain. After they move Buckley in, they try to help push him over the edge. First, Cooper poses as a suicide hotline volunteer, and when Buckley calls, he tells him that he's Bill Gates and wants his brain. Then, Josh and Cooper stock their dorm room with equipment that may assist in a suicide (rope, daggers, prescription drugs). Seeing this, Buckley thinks that they're trying to kill him, and believing that the conspiracy to kill him and steal his brain is real, he runs away.
Finally, Josh and Cooper move in Matt Noonan (Corey Page
Corey Page
Corey Page is an Australian film and television actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the television series Heartbreak High in Australia...
), a moody rock musician who talks about the futility of life. Later, Cooper catches him singing show tunes and learns he was voted Mr. Happy in high school, leading them to believe that he is only pretending to be depressed to impress girls and make a name for himself in music. After all the time wasted on trying to find a suicidal person instead of studying, Josh and Cooper become agitated.
Facing the loss of his scholarship Josh stands on the edge of a bridge, about to commit suicide himself. Cooper tells Josh he is not a failure and talks him down. When Josh comes down from the bridge he reveals to Cooper that he was faking his suicide attempt so the school wouldn't fail him, and Cooper would look like a hero to his father. The film ends with Josh narrating that he was given an additional semester to improve his grades, in which he saved his scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, and that Cooper became a more serious student, but did work summers cleaning toilets for his father's business to learn how to eventually take over.
Cast
- Mark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
as Cooper Frederickson - Tom Everett ScottTom Everett ScottThomas "Tom" Everett Scott is an American film, theatre and television actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film That Thing You Do! .-Career:...
as Josh Miller - Poppy MontgomeryPoppy MontgomeryPoppy Montgomery , is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Samantha Spade on Without a Trace...
as Rachel Gillmore - Lochlyn MunroLochlyn MunroRichard Laughlain "Lochlyn" Munro is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Munro was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia. He started his acting career after a serious sports injury ended his dream of playing professional hockey. While playing music in various clubs around Vancouver, British...
as Clifford "Cliff" O'Malley - Randy Pearlstein as Buckley Schrank
- Corey PageCorey PageCorey Page is an Australian film and television actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the television series Heartbreak High in Australia...
as Matthew 'Matt' Noonan - Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
as Lucy - Shelley MalilShelley MalilOn August 11, 2008, Malil was arrested for attempted murder after he stabbed his ex-girlfriend, Kendra Beebe, 20 times the previous night in San Marcos, California. Beebe, a mother of two, resides in Carlsbad, California...
as Biology Professor - Mari MorrowMari MorrowMari Morrow is an American film and television actress and real estate agent.-Life and career:Morrow grew up in Miami, Florida. She made her television debut appearance in 1992 as Wendy Mallow on the popular television program, Baywatch. From 1995 to 1996, she portrayed Rachel Gannon on the ABC...
as Kristin - Dave RubyDave RubyDave Ruby is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Zeke in the film Dead Man on Campus as well co-starring role in the UPN sitcom Grown Ups and his recurring role as Dr. Lloyd on Judging Amy....
as Zeke - Mark Carapezza as Hank
- Jeff T. as Jerry
- Jason SegelJason SegelJason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
as Kyle - Linda CardelliniLinda CardelliniLinda Edna Cardellini is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles as high school student Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, as Velma Dinkley in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, and as Samantha Taggart on ER.- Early life :Cardellini was born in Redwood City,...
as Kelly - Aeryk Egan as Pickle
Reception
The movie has a 15% rating on the aggregate film review site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said the film was "predictably dumb", but praised Mark-Paul Gosselaar's performance, saying; "Mr. Gosselaar is so good, however, that his performance as Cooper sometimes overrides the film's adolescent tone."
The film was made on a $14 million budget, and grossed $15,064,946 domestically, making it a moderate box office success.