Dead Man on Campus (1998)

Two college roommates go out and party, resulting in bad grades. They learn of the clause that says, "If your roommate dies, you get an A," and decide to find someone who is on the verge, so to speak, to move in with them.

Director:

Alan Cohn

Writers:

Anthony Abrams (story), Adam Larson Broder (story)

Stars:

Tom Everett Scott, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Poppy Montgomery

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Everett Scott	...	Josh
Mark-Paul Gosselaar	...	Cooper
Poppy Montgomery	...	Rachel
Lochlyn Munro	...	Cliff
Randy Pearlstein	...	Buckley
Corey Page	...	Matt
Alyson Hannigan	...	Lucy
Mari Morrow	...	Kristin
Dave Ruby	...	Zeke
Mark Carapezza	...	Hank
Jeff Tarpley	...	Jerry (as Jeff T)
Jason Segel	...	Kyle
Linda Cardellini	...	Kelly
Aeryk Egan	...	Pickle
Judyann Elder	...	Guidance Counselor

Storyline

Josh, (Scott) a college student on a scholarship, gets taught the about crazy nightlife of being in college by his unreliable roommate Cooper (Gosselaar) and fails his midterms due to being unprepared. With Cooper's father no longer willing to pay his son's way through college, and Josh needing to keep up his grades or risk losing his scholarship, the two learn of a hidden clause in the school's rules that basically says "if your roommate commits suicide, you get straight A's." Since neither are willing to do so, they instead decide to invite a suicidal colleague in. - and push him over the edge.

---

Plot Keywords:

drug abuse | college dormitory | intoxication | perscription drug | prescription drug abuse | 

---

Taglines:

Roommate Wanted...For a Limited Time Only

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language and crude sexual humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un cadavre sur le campus

Filming Locations:

7th Street Bridge, Modesto, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,704,688, 23 August 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,062,898, 22 November 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, MTV Productions, Pacific Western

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Professor Durkheim is presumably named after the French sociologist Emile Durkheim, who was the first academic to study suicide extensively.

---

Goofs

When Cooper breaks into the Admin building to steal the student records, he approaches a filing cabinet and tries to open it and says it's locked. However, the lock on the filing cabinet at the top is ejected, which is an indication that the file cabinet drawers are unlocked. If the cabinet was truly locked, the lock would have been pushed in. However, this could be deliberate - Cooper isn't exactly the brightest bulb; it's possible he just doesn't know how to properly open a file cabinet.

---

Quotes

Cliff: Zeke!
Zeke: [terrified] Cliff!
Cliff: How you been man? I haven't seen you since high school!
Zeke: I-I thought you were dead.
Cliff: No! But about THIS close though!

---

Crazy Credits

The opening sequence consists of diagrams of how to commit suicide as they would look if they were questions on a college midterm.

---

Connections

Spoofs Mission: Impossible (1996)

---

Soundtracks

Your Lucky Day In Hell
Written Mark Oliver Everett (as E) & Mark Goldenberg
Performed by Eels (as Eels)
Courtesy of DreamWorks Records under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

not that bad

A friend dragged me to this film when it came out at the theater, but I had absolutely no desire to see it. I left pleasantly surprised, but over time I began to wonder if it was just my mood or my low expectations that made it seem halfway decent. I watched DMOC again the other day, curious as hell, and found that I liked it just as much the second time. This is definitely not an academy award winning movie, but it is quite a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I was afraid I was going to get stuck seeing that wacko Cliff guy make an ass of himself and the other two for 90 min., but luckily he was only in it for a minimal amount of time. Instead, the movie focused mainly on the relationship that develops between Cooper and Josh, as they both take on aspects of each other's personalities. It's a pretty relevant film for anyone living in a dorm; most college students should be able to relate to at least some of the situations Cooper and Josh get themselves into. And, unlike a few others who have commented, I did find some humor in several of the scenes. How could you not laugh when that "depressed" musician pulled out a brush and started singing "cabaret" into it? Overall, if you're not expecting much, you won't be disappointed. In fact, you might actually LIKE it.