Harvard Man

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Harvard Man
Harvard Man poster
Directed by	James Toback
Produced by	Daniel Bigel
Written by	James Toback
Starring	Adrien Grenier Sarah Michelle Gellar Joey Lauren Adams Eric Stoltz Rebecca Gayheart
Music by	Ryan Shore
Cinematography	David M. Ferrara
Editing by	Suzy Elmiger
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films
Release date(s)	1 August 2001
Running time	99 mins
Country	United States of America Canada
Language	English
IMDb profile

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.

[edit] 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; critics consider this a disappointing deus ex machina ending in an otherwise compelling drama.