About Stealing Harvard

'Stealing Harvard' is a comedy-drama movie released in 2002. The story revolves around a harmless and naive man named John, who is persuaded by his unpredictable friend Duff to commit an act of robbery to help fund his niece's college tuition. Faced with moral dilemmas and unexpected consequences, this tale is a humorous exploration of how far one would go for family, and the unlikely places life's pressures can lead us.

Making / Production

The movie was directed by Bruce McCulloch and written by Martin Hynes and Peter Tolan. It was produced by Susan Cavan with Imagine Entertainment and Revolution Studios as the production companies. Despite the lighthearted story, the production process required meticulous planning to balance the comedic elements with the more dramatic elements inherent in the plot.

Actors

• Jason Lee as John Plummer: Portraying the good-hearted yet naive character, Lee successfully delivered a performance that was both comic and empathetic.
• Tom Green as Duff: Green provided an eccentrically comedic element to the movie with his unpredictable and offbeat portrayal of Duff.
• Leslie Mann as Elaine Warner: Mann skillfully brings to life Elaine, John's girlfriend, and adds a layer of emotional complexity to the plot.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• This was the second film in 2002 in which Jason Lee played a character named John. The other film is "Vanilla Sky".
• The working title of the film was 'Stealing Stanford' but was changed to 'Stealing Harvard' to avoid legal disputes.
• Although released as a major motion picture, the movie was filmed in only 30 days.

Quotes

• "I learned a long time ago that worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.” - John
• "I guess it’s all we ever really wanna do… give our kids what we never had. Problem is, they’ll want the same thing, too, and then their kids after them.” - Duff

Music, Soundtrack

• The movie features an eclectic mix of musical scores, ranging from light-hearted pop numbers to more dramatic pieces, all effectively complementing the film's comedic undercurrents.
• Classic tracks from The Beatles and The Velvet Underground can be heard throughout the movie
• The movie's soundtrack was released by Varese Sarabande, which includes both the original score and various popular tracks used in the film.