Accepted
Accepted is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Steve Pink in his feature directing debut, in which a high school senior rejected by every college he applies to invents a fake university, the South Harmon Institute of Technology, which then attracts real students.1 • 2 Justin Long stars as Bartleby "B" Gaines, with Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Lewis Black, Columbus Short, and Maria Thayer in supporting roles.3 Universal Pictures released the film wide on August 18, 2006.4
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide theatrical release August 18, 2006 by Universal; video release November 14, 2006 by Universal Home Entertainment4 |
| Director | Steve Pink, his first film as director; his earlier writing credits include High Fidelity (2000) and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)1 • 5 |
| Writers | Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Mark Perez; Perez also receives story credit6 |
| Cast | Justin Long (Bartleby Gaines), Jonah Hill (Sherman Schrader), Blake Lively (Monica), Lewis Black (Uncle Ben), Maria Thayer (Rory)3 • 6 |
| Box office | $36,580,083 domestic, $38,314,803 worldwide; opening weekend $10,023,835 in 2,914 theaters4 |
| Home video | Estimated DVD sales of $38,738,046, exceeding the theatrical gross4 |
| Reception | 38% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (115 reviews) against a 72% Popcornmeter from 250,000+ ratings; Metascore 47 from 27 reviews2 • 7 |
| Format | 93 minutes, rated PG-13 for language, sexual material, and drug content4 |
Spoilers
Plot
After receiving his latest college rejection letter, senior Bartleby Gaines devises a way to fool everyone into thinking he is college-bound: he opens his own university. With friends who are also shut out of college, he takes over an abandoned building, creates a fake website, and hires a friend's uncle to pose as the dean. The scheme works too well, and other rejected applicants begin seeking admission to the nonexistent South Harmon Institute of Technology.2 The Universal synopsis adds that at the school the students teach the classes and the dean lives in a trailer in the back.3 Time Out's review describes the fake dean as a disgraced professor whose outbursts include the theory that colleges indoctrinate students "into a life-long hell of debt and indecision."8
Production
Steve Pink, then known as a screenwriter, put himself forward to direct the film, which was credited to writers Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Mark Perez.1 Tom Shadyac and Michael Bostick produced for Universal Pictures through Shady Acres Entertainment.6 Matthew F. Leonetti was the director of photography, Rusty Smith the production designer, Scott Hill the editor, and David Schommer the composer.6 The Los Angeles and New York openings were on August 18, 2006, and Universal City Studios registered the copyright on September 27, 2006.6
Box office
The film opened at $10,023,835, 27.4 percent of its eventual domestic total, ranking fifth for the weekend in 2,914 theaters.4 Grosses declined steadily over nine tracked weekends, ending at $36,580,083 domestically and $38,314,803 worldwide; the domestic share was 95.5 percent.4 The Numbers estimates domestic DVD sales at $38,738,046, more than the film's entire worldwide theatrical gross, and its inflation-adjusted domestic figure is $63,163,466.4
Critical reception
Professional reviews were mixed to negative. Rotten Tomatoes records a critics consensus that the film's "inconsistent and ridiculous plot gets annoying, despite a few laughs," with 38 percent of 115 reviews positive; audience approval was much higher at 72 percent from more than 250,000 ratings.2 Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 47, labeled mixed or average, from 27 reviews, while its user score stood at 6.3.7 • 9 IMDb users rate the film 6.4 out of 10 from about 150,000 votes.10
Reviewers split over the premise and the execution. Variety's Justin Chang called it "sweetly amusing, gently anarchic and never mean-spirited," while the Washington Post dismissed it as a fluffy teen comedy that "gets annoying fast," and the Village Voice wrote that an inspired premise ended up "yet another modestly rousing underdog story."7 Richard Roeper argued the premise would never work even within a wacky comedy.2 Time Out found the inspirational speeches and montages bland but credited the likable cast with good one-liners.8
Legacy
A Malaysian Journal of Media Studies article cites the film as an example of American youth films that "seriously challenge the educational system," noting its portrait of a slacker who creates his own institution of higher learning.11 Universal continues to sell it digitally and on DVD, including a four-movie comedy pack with Neighbors, American Pie, and Role Models.3
References
- Dean of ultimate party school, Los Angeles Times (August 17, 2006)
- Accepted, Rotten Tomatoes
- Accepted, Universal Pictures At Home
- Accepted (2006), The Numbers
- Notre Dame Observer, August 30, 2006
- Accepted (2006), AFI Catalog
- Accepted (2006), Metacritic reviews via IMDb
- Accepted 2006 film review, Time Out
- Accepted Reviews, Metacritic
- Accepted (2006), IMDb
- Malaysian Journal of Media Studies
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2005 to 2006
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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