When I saw the ads for the new movie Orange County, I thought, not another teen comedy. Fortunately, Orange County is not another teen comedy. This is not American Pie 3. It's well-written, tender and, for a change, flat-out funny.

It also introduces movie audiences to the second generation of the Hanks family, as in Colin Hanks, son of Tom. Hanks plays Shaun, a high school senior and aspiring author who longs to leave his dysfunctional family and lame-brained surfing buddies behind and enroll in Stanford University, where his favorite author just happens to be on the faculty.

Shaun is assured by his guidance counselor that his grades are easily good enough to get accepted, so he doesn't bother to apply anywhere else. But things hit a big snag when the same guidance counselor sends in someone else's transcript under his name. Shaun is rejected, and thus begins a madcap 24 hours in which he attempts to use every means and family connection at his disposal to reverse his fate, all while his family and friends unwittingly sabotage him every step of the way by simply being their embarrassing selves. The series of mishaps spiral into surreal proportions as Shaun's Stanford plans become more and more hopeless.

When children of famous actors become actors themselves, it's tempting to make comparisons. In the case of Colin Hanks, it's damn near impossible not to notice the similarities. His mannerisms and speaking patterns are almost identical, not to mention the physical resemblance. But any doubt of Hanks' lineage is completely erased every time his character grows exasperated with the incompetence of those around him. Like his father did so many times, in early films like The Money Pit, Hanks plays a normal guy who's frequently pushed over-the-edge by a farcical calamity. When Shaun explodes into a comedic "I-can't-believe-everyone-around-me-is-so-stupid" rage, it's not only funny, it feels very familiar.

The movie's director also knows what it feels like to follow in his father's footsteps. Jake Kasdan is the son of Lawrence Kasdan, who directed The Big Chill and co-wrote an obscure little sequel called The Empire Strikes Back (which, if you're scoring at home, qualifies him for god status). The younger Kasdan, who's just 26, is already an old pro at the family business.

He assembles a talented cast of great comedy actors. Jack Black, plays Shaun's stoned-out embarrassment of a brother. Black has become the go-to guy when casting directors are looking for a wacky supporting player and he comes through again here. (If he keeps it up, Black will assume the Belushi mantle of portly sidekicks, a mantle last carried by the late, great Chris Farley.) John Lithgow and Catherine O'Hara get laughs with a nimble ease as Shaun's divorced parents. There are also a host of celebrity cameos which I won't spoil. Kasdan additionally gives us a nice Beach Boys-styled soundtrack to compliment the California surfing motif.

Orange County is a sweet coming of age movie that evokes memories of film's like The Graduate. It's a movie about a young man's journey to find his place in the world. It's a journey you won't mind taking.
(c) Copyright 2002