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ORANGE COUNTY Numerous stars -- among them Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and an unbilled Ben Stiller -- turn up in Orange County, and their participation makes one wonder if they signed on to curry favor with Lawrence Kasdan (whose son Jake directs the film) or to get in the good graces of Tom Hanks (whose son Colin stars in the film). Surely they weren't attracted to the material itself, a largely tepid tale that wavers uncomfortably between being a crude teen flick and a sharp-edged comedy of errors. Hanks plays Shaun Brumder, a bright kid who's considered a shoo-in at Stanford until his guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin) mails off the wrong transcripts, thereby resulting in his rejection. Determined to clear matters up, Shaun decides to visit the campus in person, accompanied by his supportive girlfriend (Schuyler Fisk) and his perpetually stoned brother (Jack Black). Considering this is one of the first releases of the new year (generally indicating bottom-of-the-barrel fare), it's amazing that this thing is not only tolerable but occasionally displays flashes of innovation -- unfortunately, not nearly enough of them to counter either the trivial pursuit of a plot (with a cringe-inducing wrap-up) or the smattering of been-there-done-that bodily function gags.
SNOW DOGS Stars often follow up their Oscar-winning performances with an embarrassment or two -- take the case of Shirley MacLaine, whose first film after winning for Terms of Endearment was Cannonball Run II -- but Jerry Maguire victor Cuba Gooding Jr. can't seem to put the brakes on his career skid: This bow-wow is just the latest in a steady stream of turkeys that also includes What Dreams May Come, Rat Race and Pearl Harbor. Gooding's a charismatic actor but also an unrepentant ham: I haven't seen the art of shameless mugging endorsed this wholeheartedly since the heyday of Jerry Lewis (or possibly even Joe E. Brown). Here, he lets out screech after screech and takes pratfall after pratfall in a dorky Disney comedy about a Miami dentist who inherits an Alaskan snow dog team. With the notable exception of Babe, Hollywood's FX wizards still haven't mastered the technique of anthropomorphizing animals: As in last summer's Cats & Dogs, seeing canines wink and talk is more creepy than cute, and the gnawing feeling is that these creatures would be more at home in an Omen sequel than a typically bland family film from Disney. 1/2