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To the members of the Kappa Omieron Kappa (KOK) fraternity, life is a lark. But for the three
true-blue members, Dave (Barry Watson), Doofer (Harland Williams) and Adam (Michael Rosenbaum), this easy and complacent existence is rudely ended when they are accused of
stealing party funds and subsequently thrown out of the fraternity house. Wishing to retrieve a tape that would help exonerate them, they dress up as women so as to gain
entrance into the fraternity house. They are humiliated as they become the butts of the boys' jokes and taunts. Leah (Melissa Sagermiller), firebrand feminist and alpha of the
sorority Delta Omieron Gamma (DOG), comes to their rescue and invites them to stay in the sorority house. Penniless and homeless, the three accept the offer and willingly
carry out the masquerade. Dave becomes Daisy; Doofer, Rebecca; Adam, Adina. Gaining first hand information on how women live, they are haunted by their chauvinistic and bad
treatment of women in the past. Dave falls for Leah but Leah knows him/her as Daisy. How can he reveal his true feelings for Leah? The attempts of the three "transvestites" at
retrieving the valuable tape fail repeatedly but will they eventually succeed to prove their innocence?
To elicit laughter, this movie employs a device that has a long tradition in film: men
impersonating women. We immediately recall the smashing success of the very funny and enjoyable Victor/Victoria
of Julie Andrews. With a sound story, judicious direction and good acting, impersonation is a sure-fire formula for tickling people's funny bone. But Sorority Boys
hardly does that. Its story is full of holes. Sure, this is a comedy but it practically underestimates viewers' intelligence by its many incredible situations. For instance, how can a woman fail to know her showermate is a man when both of them are stark naked? Or how can a father not recognize his own son as the "girl" he tries to pick up? The other characters in the story seem to have a very low intelligence level for they cannot see through the masquerade in spite of the low husky voice, manly strength and poor disguises. Absolutely zero in wit, this slapstick comedy, however, gives the lead actors some opportunities for acting which they do with zest.
This film is no different from the many run-of-the-mill campus comedies today which try to be
funny by using crude and vulgar humor. In a way, it is a realistic portrayal of a segment of U.S. college life, that which deals with fraternities and sororities. And it shows
very dismaying facets of that life like lesbianism and the too carefree attitude of college female students regarding overnight "visits" to the men's dorm as well as the
subsequent heartless brutalizing treatment of women by male students. Considering our young people's penchant for copying what is foreign or American, we hope that they have
the good sense and discernment to copy only what is beautiful and laudable and not the ugly and questionable.
(Date reviewed: July 26, 2002)
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