Accepted

It's remarkable how far appealing characters will get you. 'Accepted' should have been, and admittedly is, extremely routine fare - a campus comedy with all the boxes ticked. But the principals are so likeable and the performances so winning that, with a little leeway, it's actually a hell of a lot of fun. Long plays Bartleby Gaines, just out of high school and rejected from every college he applied to. In a bid to get some peace from his demanding father, he cooks up a fictitious college - unfortunately, he fakes it so well that hundreds of other rejects, waifs and strays also think it's real and turn up looking for an education. Relying more on character than set pieces for its laughs, 'Accepted' is a good natured treat that showcases Long's charm and comic ability - he's like Ryan Reynolds without the smugness and deserves to go far. [Paul Greenwood]