Bart Got a Room (2008)

Director: Brian Hecker
Writer: Brian Hecker
Cast: William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, Steven Kaplan, Alia Shawkat


Synopsis by D-Man2010 at imdb.com
Bart Got a Room isnt the first movie comedy about nerds, high school, and the senior prom, and it undoubtedly wont be the last. It may not be the best, either, but writer-director Brian Heckers 2008 concoction has enough laughs, charm, amusingly-drawn characters, and winning performances to more than hold its own. For Danny Stein (Steven J. Kaplan), a high school student in Hollywood, Florida, the imminence of the prom is the source of considerable distress; even more distressing is the prospect of booking of a hotel room for himself and his date at the end of the evening. Problem is, Danny (whos a bit of a schlub, but far from a total, like, loser), doesnt have a date yet. The obvious choice is his best friend Camille (Alia Shawkat), whos available and clearly interested, but Danny thinks he can do better--say, with Alice (Ashley Benson), the sophomore hottie who drives to school with him every day. Wrong. As the days, then the hours, dwindle down, Danny, whose parents separation is an added distraction (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines are perfect as Ernie, whos looking for love on the internet, and Beth, who has a new beau), realizes hes in big trouble, not least because even the titular Bart--a geek so geeky he makes Danny look like Tom Cruise--already has the room thing covered. All of this plays out in ways that are neither surprising nor especially hilarious, but the movie has heart, not to mention a number of cute, quirky scenes (many involving Dannys well-intentioned, but mostly clueless, family). Movies like Bart Got a Room arent really about the destination, anyway; theyre about the journey, and this ones a fun ride.


As a comedy, this movie does not have much interesting things. The funny thing is when I first saw Camille and Stein in front of the class, I thought she is the teacher. Though I do not like it much, I memorized a few quotes. Here they are.


Stein: Craig, he was brainwashing me. He was...
Camille: God, you're in control of your own life.


Stein: We can't choose our memories.
The best ones just happen.