Harvard Man

Infobox Film
name = Harvard Man


caption = "Harvard Man" poster
director = James Toback
producer = Daniel Bigel
writer = James Toback
narrator =
starring = Adrien Grenier
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Joey Lauren Adams
Eric Stoltz
Rebecca Gayheart
music = Ryan Shore
cinematography = David M. Ferrara
editing = Suzy Elmiger
distributor = Lions Gate Films
released = 1 August2001
runtime = 99 mins
country = United States of America
Canada
language = English
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0242508

"Harvard Man" is a 2001 feature film written and directed by James Toback. It had only a limited distribution in theatres in July 2002, and received little critical or popular acclaim, although it achieved some success when it was released on video and DVD in October of that year.

The film stars Adrian Grenier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joey Lauren Adams, Eric Stoltz, and Rebecca Gayheart. Al Franken and his daughter played themselves in cameo appearances.

Edward R. Pressman was one of seven executive producers for the film.

Plot

The story concerns Harvard student Alan Jensen (played by Grenier), the point guard of the Harvard basketball team. When his parents' house is destroyed by a tornado, Alan is desperate for $100,000 to replace their home. He is approached by his girlfriend Cindy Bandolino (played by Gellar), whose father is an organized crime boss. Cindy convinces Alan to throw the game for the money. She tells Alan that her father is behind the deal, but actually she goes to her father's associate, Teddy Carter (played by Stoltz), and Carter's assistant, Kelly Morgan (played by Gayheart) for funding. What she does not know is that Carter and Morgan are undercover FBI agents.

Alan throws the game, gives his parents the money, and then undergoes a psychedelic experience after he ingests a mega-dose of LSD, approximately 15,000 micrograms. There follows a long stretch of the film during which morphing special effects demonstrate Alan's altered state as he is pursued by Carter, while Cindy is collared by Morgan.

Just when it looks like a toss-up as to what will prove his downfall first, the bad trip, the FBI, or the mob, Alan's other girlfriend (who is also his philosophy lecturer), Chesney Cort (played by Adams), saves the day. Not only does she get Alan to a doctor who can bring him down from his monumental high, she reveals that she is in a sexual threesome with Carter and Morgan. Once he gets some photographic evidence for blackmail, Alan is extricated from his problems.

External links

*
* [http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/harvardman?q=harvard%20man Harvard Man] at Metacritic