PCU – You are Not Going to Protest This Pod

PCU, or Politically Correct University, is a comedy centered around a college campus that has lost its edge. Everyone is divided into sub-groups, and they are all offended or outraged by something. In a way, the movie was predictive of the times to come.

This zero tolerance, fun free landscape is how we are introduced to pre-frosh Tom Lawrence (Chris Young). He's visiting the fictional Port Chester University for the weekend, and he just happens to be paired with super duper senior James 'Droz' Andrews (Jeremy Piven). Tom, with a lack of real adult guidance, proceeds to tick off several of the on-campus cliques.

This may sound like the film aims to be obtusely offensive, poking fun at those in the minority or the absurdity of finding fault with everything (i.e. Cancel Culture today), but it is satirical look at those—as the movie deems them—"cause heads"

Now, admittedly, it is a bit dated, especially with how it stereotypes. That said, PCU's central theme is more about embracing the freedom of unsupervised adulthood and not taking the trivial things too seriously. To those ends, it is rather successful. PCU is definitely a humorous film—one that was unfortunately overlooked upon its initial release. It earned just over $4 million on a budget double that.

In the following years, though, it did gain some traction on cable TV and amassed a loyal following, earning it near cult status. It's also a film that you can look back on and see the birth of a budding star. Jeremy Piven as Droz owns this movie. Like Bill Murray in Meatballs or Ryan Reynolds in Van Wilder, PCU gives him the keys and lets him drive the car. The film is better for it. He has a natural charisma.

All in all, similar to many comedies of the 1990s, PCU is a silly film with some memorable moments and some unforgettable characters (Jake Busey as Mersh or John Favreau as Gutter).

So sit back, shotgun a couple of Terminally Chill IPAs from La Cumbre Brewing, grab those frisbees, and do a deep dive on the Caine-Hackman Theory while performing a kegstand. I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt Cash, and Chumpzilla are headed back to college to toss meat at vegans and chug brewdogs with George Clinton!

This Week’s Segments:

• Introduction – We recap the wild events of pre-frosh Tom Lawrence's insane weekend visiting Port Chester University.  (00:00)
• Interesting Facts about the Movie and the "Where are They Now: Port Chester University Class of 1994?" – We dive into some crazy facts about the film, and then Capt. Cash, Chumpzilla, and I attempt to pinpoint what became of PCU's Class of 1994. (36:26)
• Recommendations – After this brief bit of nostalgia theater, we offer our recommendations for the week. (1:04:28)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to check out all the interesting factoids—the mythical softball showdown with the cast of another movie and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Podbean, and Spotify!