The Pursuit of Acceptance: Getting Into a Fake School “Let’s start this fake college. Then, we’ll go start a meth lab somewhere. It’s a gateway crime. That’s how these things start.” —Schrader
Accepted’s life began at Shady Acres, the Universal Pictures-based production company formed by producer Tom Shadyac and home to producer Michael Bostick. The partners—who have collaborated on such films as Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty and the upcoming Evan Almighty—were given the script by their representatives at United Talent Agency, who also introduced them to the spec screenwriter, Mark Perez. Shadyac and Bostick loved that Accepted was a comedy that has so much heart.
Shadyac relates that what spoke to him about the concept was that “the story is all about the flaws in the educational system and how they stifle creativity and, ultimately, learning.”
“I think what Tom and I do best is concept comedy, specifically concept comedy that can speak to the human condition. We responded immediately to the script,” notes Bostick. “We thought it was a great premise. Accepted has this sense of optimism, and it’s a comedy with a heart.”
Several well-known filmmakers familiar with the script sought out Team Shady Acres for the chance to direct Accepted. The producers interviewed over 30 directors who had expressed interest in the material, but it soon became clear that well-regarded writer/producer Steve Pink was the ideal choice. Pink had served as the screenwriter on two successful John Cusack comedies, 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank and 2000’s High Fidelity.
For Shadyac, Pink’s grasp of the story’s underlying message about questioning the status quo and carving your own path assured him he had found the right director for the job. “Steve took us to the roots of why he wanted to do this, believing that you are your best teacher,” the producer commends.
Though this would be Pink’s first time in the director’s chair, the filmmaker had proved his comedic sensibilities as both a writer and producer. “We uniformly felt—the studio and the producers—that Steve was the right guy,” continues Shadyac. “We were huge fans of his writing. Both Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity are two of our favorites, and we knew he would bring an intelligence and an integrity to it…as well as thematic resonance.”
“Although Pink had not directed a movie, he had previously acted and directed theater,” Shadyac adds. “We knew he could speak the actors’ language and would have confidence directing them, which was key since the cast is largely composed of newcomers.” He laughs, “All those aspects were more important than someone sitting on my couch telling me how they were going to shoot a scene.”
Pink recalls that in his initial meetings with Shadyac and Bostick, he passionately connected to the script’s themes and the characters’ various struggles to deal with acceptance and rejection…and the comedy that arose from that, rather than just blatant puerile humor.
The director shares the producers’ “questioning a system that wrongly insists that the surest way to guarantee success as an individual in society is to adhere to an obligatory college experience—a college experience that, in many ways, has itself become more of an industry than a value, churning out college graduates rather than inspired and imaginative people.” He chose the project because he feels “there’s always a great deal of comedy to mine in an idea that champions outcasts and misfits—and anyone trying to do something different—while having a bit more fun doing it.” Pink loved that the script told a story of “students who determine their path, their major and their goals. There’s no required reading or classes. It’s all self-motivating and self-generating.”
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