Sorority Boys is a 2002 comedy film directed by Wallace Wolodarsky, about three college guys who, after getting framed for theft and booted from their frat house, decide to dress up as women and pledge the "ugly girl" sorority, where they figure they'll blend right in till they can prove their innocence. Hilarity Ensues.
Dave (Barry Watson), Doofer (Harland Williams), and Adam (Michael Rosenbaum) are falsely accused of stealing money from their fraternity, Kappa Omicron Kappa (KOK). The money goes towards the end of the year 'KOK-tail Cruise'—the one that guarantees them a spot at a very high paying company no matter how low their GPA is. After being thrown out, they try to sneak into a party at the house by dressing as girls to get back a tape that should have recorded whoever did steal the money. Not being attractive, they are quickly nabbed by the "D.O.G. catcher" net.
Thrown onto the D.O.G.s' (Delta Omicron Gamma) doorstep, they are immediately accepted by the group for being 'plus-sized' girls. Since there is free room and board to those who pledge for the first semester at DOG, they decide to pledge to hide out for some time. While the boys deal with the hardships of being women, they are subjected to all kinds of abuse from the "pretty" sorority, the 'Tri-Pis' (Pi Pi Pi), and their brothers at KOK. All this while simultaneously trying to sneak back into the KOK house to get the proof they need to prove their innocence, and get reinstalled in their fraternity.
Slowly, the men relinquish their frat mentality and realize how hurtful they have been to women over the years. As they get to know the women of DOG, they begin to see them as people, and a romance blossoms between "Daisy" (Dave) and Leah, president of DOG.
The Film Contains Examples of:
- All Guys Want Sorority Women: The KOKs certainly do. At least until the ending, when they realize that the decidedly uncheerleader-like girls of DOG aren't so bad after all.
- Alpha Bitch: All of the Tri-Pis qualify as this.
- Ass Shove: KOK brothers who have broken the fraternity's rules are punished by having greased hamsters shoved up their asses.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Despite being a member of the DOG house, "Daisy" is considered to be pretty by most boys she meets.
- Many viewers also found Michael Rosenbaum rather fetching as "Adina".
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- Many viewers also found Michael Rosenbaum rather fetching as "Adina".
- Badass Adorable: Patty, large size notwithstanding, is actually quite pretty and is sweet and cute as a kitten. Just DON'T ever call her a freak.
- Berserk Button: "Freak" for an unusually tall D.O.G. girl. Oh yeah.
- Black Comedy Rape: See Sexual Karma entry.
- Blatant Lies: Doofer narrates his harmless-sounding discovery of Adam's hidden video camera (e.g., "The trunk was already unlocked. I didn't touch it!"), while we see what actually happened (e.g., shooting the lock off with a handgun).
- Breast Attack: During Dave and Adam's fight, the sorority sisters don't react when one of them takes a knee to the groin but react in shock and sympathy when one of them takes a punch to the chest.
- Deconstructed Trope: At one point, Doofer admits he hates his party boy persona and he crushes beer cans on his head because he doesn't know how else to make friends.
- Different for Girls: While Dave/Daisy and Robert/Roberta adjust rather well to living as women (due to taking a more casual approach), Adam/Adina has difficulty finding clothes that flatter his "fat ass", struggles to walk in high heels (which he insists on wearing because they make his legs look slender), and gets terrible ingrown hairs on his newly-shaved legs.
- Disguised in Drag: The main premise of the film.
- Flynning: With dildos!
- Funny Foreigner: Frederique, the DOG's French exchange student. She smokes cigarettes constantly, has an inordinate amount of body hair (including a mustache), and loves "ze baseball" and "zose toilets zat flush!"
- Fun with Acronyms: Lampshaded. Kappa Omicron Kappa holds an annual "KOK-tail Cruise", and the girls of Delta Omicron Gamma are repeatedly (and unironically) called "Dogs".
- Gentle Giant: Patty, who literally suffers from giantism but is extremely shy and sensitive.
- I'm a Humanitarian: When the DOGs steal back their cruise from the Tri-Pis, they leave them floating in a life raft...which drifts out into the open ocean. In The Stinger, we see the surviving Tri-Pis (now delirious and heavily sunburned) gnawing on the leg of one of their sorority sisters.
- In Another Man's Shoes: The theme of the movie. The climactic scene occurs when Adam/Adima stumbles out of Jimmy's room—in all likelihood having been raped while unconscious—and enduring the gauntlet of cheering, jeering, and leering that he'd participated in so many times. His humiliation and rage are so palpable that the men actually stop and watch in silence as he stumbles away. ...Before immediately cheering and hi-fiving as soon as he leaves the hall.
- Incredibly Conspicuous Drag: A common criticism of the movie is that the protagonists are so obviously guys in cheap dresses that it is impossible to believe anybody could buy them as women.
- Ms. Fanservice: Leah's topless shower scene.
- Pair the Spares
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Seriously. Who were they kidding?
- Sexual Karma: It is heavily implied that Adam was raped by Jimmy. This is played for laughs.
- Sexy Soaked Shirt: During the powderpuff football game one of the KOKs turns on the sprinklers, dousing the Tri-Pis (much to the delight of the rowdy crowd). The Tri-Pis, adjusting their now-transparent baby tees, are oblivious as to why they're getting such loud cheers all of a sudden....
- She Cleans Up Nicely: All of the nerdy, awkward DOG girls clean up beautifully for the KOK-tail Cruise. Enough that some of the KOKs gladly take them as dance partners for the night, and end up dating them later.
- Straw Feminist: The Women's Studies professor, an aging Granola Girl who teaches a course called "Femalehood In Crisis" and assigns readings on "Histrionics and the Male Demographic" and "The Myth of the Male Orgasm".
- Subverted with Leah, who, thanks to the abusive and disgusting behavior she and her friends have been subjected to, is reasonably angry with and distrustful of men.
- Surprise Incest: A surprise to Jimmy, that is, who becomes infatuated with "Adina" (his older brother Adam in drag) and it is heavily implied he had sex with "her" when "she" was unconscious in his room. When Adam reveals his true identity during the KOK-Tail Cruise one of the frat boys even exclaims in disgust, 'Dude, you plugged your big bro!' Needless to say, the scene where the two meet up after the climax (pun intended) is supremely awkward. Played for laughs, but also sort of
Fridge Horror. - Sweet on Polly Oliver: When Leah falls in love with "Daisy".
- Two-Timer Date: Dave during the KOK-tail Cruise, where he's expected to appear as both himself (to meet with his father's KOK alumni business associates) and Daisy (on a date with Leah).
- Unreliable Voiceover: Used when one of the characters is describing how he discovered a plot-important hidden camera, leading to a VCR in a lockbox. He fudges the details of the discovery to cover his invasion of his roommate's privacy as if everything was already in the open, while it shows him actually stumbling drunkenly into the hidden camera, yanking on cables, and finally shooting open the lockbox with a revolver.
- Wacky Fratboy Hijinx: KOK boys find it hilarious to abuse and humiliate women they deem unattractive. Aside from forming a gauntlet to mock any woman in the house who has a one-night stand, they love throwing "Dog Catcher" parties (where they pick out the ugliest girl in the house at Midnight and parade her around before tossing her onto the lawn of the DOG house) and throwing sex toys through the windows of the D.O.G. house.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Despite their deceptive (and sometimes unethical) behavior, all three of the leads qualify, and turn out to be much kinder people as their female selves.
