Entertainment
How The Raunchy College Comedy Was Dismantled By Its Own Lies
Unemployment in the haiku industry is still undefeated.
By Robert Scucci
| Updated
Ever wonder what happened to the raunchy college comedy? Animal House (1978). Road Trip (2000). Van Wilder (2002). The list goes on and on, but then drops off hard around the mid-aughts. As we approached the 2010s, we stopped getting raunchy college party movies, and instead got a wave of films like The Hangover (2009) and its sequels, which are about grown adults acting like college kids in places like Las Vegas. So what happened? The answer is simple. The illusion of carefree college life was shattered during the 2008 recession, and it never recovered.
Starting with Millennials, the idea that college automatically improves your adult life started to fall apart. Unless you’re in a hyper-specialized field that requires formal education, a lot of people on the wrong side of their 30s will tell you the same thing. They’re not working in their field of study, they’re earning far less than a livable wage from a single full-time job, they’ve had to lean on gig work to close the gap, and they’re all thinking some version of, “I could have done this without being buried in debt.”
The Top Gun Parallel
Before getting further into why the raunchy college comedy disappeared, it helps to look at a genre that still works as a measuring stick: military porn.
Films like Top Gun (1986), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), Act of Valor (2012), and Lone Survivor (2013) all share something in common. They glorify military life. Yes, they show the horrors of war, but they’re framed through a hero’s journey. Even if you enlist knowing your life is on the line, there’s still a clear upside for people who are built for that lifestyle.
You can be trained in fields like IT or logistics during your service and transition into stable work afterward. There were even reports of U.S. Navy representatives appearing at Top Gun: Maverick (2022) screenings, which coincided with a spike in recruitment interest tied to the film’s portrayal of the lifestyle.
Here’s the difference. Compared to raunchy college comedies, movies like Top Gun are not necessarily selling a lie. Most people understand the risks of military service. But the infrastructure being sold is real. If you complete your service honorably, there is a clear path forward. You can stay within the system or move into the private sector with experience that translates.
You can’t say the same thing about a feminist studies and basket weaving degree from even the most prestigious private university. Last time I checked, unemployment in the haiku industry is still undefeated.
The Lie That Was Sold
Melanie Hanson’s “Average Cost of College & Tuition,” published in February 2026, breaks down tuition across public and private universities, both in-state and out-of-state. The takeaway is straightforward. Many graduates walk away from a bachelor’s program with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and in some cases much more depending on the school and living situation.
That means kids who can’t legally rent a car, drink alcohol, get a tattoo, or purchase a lottery ticket are encouraged to take on long-term predatory loans and pause their lives for four years. The opportunity cost alone “can ultimately cost upwards of $500,000.”
Most people my age were part of the last wave of kids who were told that a degree guaranteed a better life. We were told it didn’t matter what we studied, as long as we got the degree. We were told that without it, we’d be stuck in menial, low-paying service jobs, as if honest hard work in any industry isn’t just that: honest, hard work. Now, in 2026, I’ve lost count of how many people I know with advanced degrees who are bartending because it pays more than their chosen field of study.
I can’t speak for everyone, but from kindergarten through 12th grade, the messaging was constant. We all remember authority figures pointing to the school janitor or someone wearing a hard hat and saying, “If you don’t go to college, this could be you.” Meanwhile, a lot of blue-collar workers I know who skipped college and went straight into the workforce or military are now in a position to retire early or pivot careers without experiencing total financial collapse.
And we all remember the Education Connection ads. The waitress sings about how a degree would lead to a bigger salary (that’s the rhyme). We also remember decades of raunchy college comedies selling the same dream. Party for four years, then walk into a stable white-collar life.
The Reality, And The Genre’s Downfall
By the early 2000s, most of us knew college wasn’t just toga parties and running from the dean after filling the campus pool with instant mashed potatoes. What we believed was that if we worked hard early, we could relax later.
Even then, college comedies still leaned into feel-good endings. Road Trip wraps with everyone’s lives improving. Accepted (2006) ends with personal growth and forward momentum. The illusion was still there, just softened. Expectations were already shifting, and the tone reflected that.
Then the 2008 recession hit.
Speaking from experience, the economy collapsed while I was deciding whether to matriculate as a Junior. I doubled down and finished my degree. I lived at home, worked full-time, and commuted to a state university. I still ended up over $80,000 in debt, with payments starting before my diploma even arrived in the mail.
Six months after graduating, I was paying $700 a month and still making $12.50 an hour flipping burgers.
This situation wasn’t unique to me, and it felt like it was becoming the new expectation. I eventually landed a corporate job, but it required a three-hour round-trip commute that cost about $10,000 a year in gas and maintenance. The job paid $30,000, before taxes. This was considered by many to be gainful, post-grad, white-collar work. Meanwhile, my bartending friends made more money, had nicer things, and zero debt. They could afford to live alone.
Since then, the raunchy college comedy didn’t disappear overnight. It mutated. The behavior is still there, but it shifted to older characters. Neighbors (2014) is technically college adjacent, but the frat house is framed as a nuisance. The main character isn’t aspiring to that lifestyle. He’s disgusted by it.
Movies like The Package (2018) picked up some of the slack, but the setting changed. The antics happen at home during spring break for a bunch of college-bound teenagers, not on campus. Everybody still lives with their parents. It feels like Hollywood recognized that the traditional college fantasy no longer landed the same way, even though some of the humor from those films still did.
When the audience stops believing in the premise, the genre has to adapt.
Lower Your Expectations, And You’ll Never Be Disappointed
So is college worth it? Maybe. That’s a personal decision you have to figure out for yourself.
As a parent with two kids under eight, I think about this constantly. I don’t want to set them up for failure or lock them into decades of loan payments that limit their options to live a meaningful life. There are other paths. Starting a business. Taking a risk on a startup. Learning a trade.
Right now, I’m neck deep in gig work because most job listings, according to LinkedIn, require a Master’s degree for entry-level roles, pay what my first corporate job paid 16 years ago, offer no benefits, and still expect you to show up on site and play dressup. I’ve told recruitors that if I ended up working for them, it would set me back, while simultaneously destroying my work/life balance. In so many words, they agreed with me.
Imagine spending eight years in higher education just to land there.
At that point, movies like Van Wilder stop feeling aspirational and start feeling like a joke, while something like Top Gun suddenly looks like a more honest pitch.
Entertainment
The Sci-Fi Thriller That Killed Director's Career Deserves Another Look
By Brian Myers
| Published
The 2009 thriller The Box had all the makings of a Hollywood hit. A-list stars (Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden), a $30 million budget, and a hot new director to take the lead. However, the lukewarm reception at the box office and the mediocre critical response to The Box led director Richard Kelly’s career to take an almost immediate nosedive. Fifteen years later, streaming maks it possible for viewers to get a second look at a film that deserves a lot more credit than it originally received.
Kelly had scored a major success several years leading up to the production of The Box, serving as director and screenwriter for the sleeper hit 2001 film Donnie Darko. However, in the years since The Box was released, Kelly has only had a handful of projects in the industry.
Some of this has been attributed to his own admission of wanting to prove to studios that he’s worthy of another modestly budgeted film, and some due to sheer bad luck. Kelly was set to work on a crime film titled Amicus with Sopranos star James Gandolfini, only to have the actor die from a heart attack in 2013 before the project could be started.
The Box’s Moral Conundrum
If you’ve never seen The Box, you’ll likely be intrigued by the storyline alone. Married couple Norma and Arthur Lewis (played by Diaz and Marsden, respectively) are approached by a disfigured stranger (Frank Langella) who gives them a mysterious box. Press the button inside the box, the stranger promises, and you’ll receive $1 million in cash.
However, the stranger reveals a caveat to receiving the prize money. Press the button, and someone that they do not know will die. The plot of The Box takes a good number of unpredictable twists and turns after Norma presses the button, and the young family sees a horrific fate unfold before their very eyes.
The Twilight Zone Episode
The Box was conceived from a short story written by acclaimed horror and science fiction writer Richard Matheson in 1970. Matheson’s original story, Button, Button, was turned into a radio show in the late 1970s. In 1986, a screenplay was written based on the story for an episode of the revived version of The Twilight Zone.
The theatrical version of Matheson’s story debuted in 2009 and wasn’t a favorite of critics. Though Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, other critics cited poor editing and the sense of the film being more of a pet project for Kelly as reasons for their dislike of The Box. Audiences at the time largely agreed as box office receipts led to barely making back the film’s budget.
The Box is certainly worth a look 15 years later, despite the lack of enthusiasm it received in 2009. The soundtrack alone should tempt a good number of curiosity seekers. Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of the pop band Arcade Fire teamed with composer Owen Pallett for a film score that more than redeems any of the film’s minor shortcomings that critics pointed out.
As of this writing, The Box can be rented or purchased on-demand through Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
Entertainment
FIFA World Cup schedule today: Games, kickoff times, livestream info for July 5
Table of Contents
The 2026 World Cup weekend excitement reaches a crescendo today with two heated matches: Norway vs Brazil followed by England vs Mexico.
It all kicks off at 4 p.m. ET, with the first game taking place in the United States and the second taking place in Mexico City, where the hometown fans will have the opportunity to cheer on their national team in a decisive match.
Read on to learn where and when the games are being played, as well as how best to watch them.
FIFA World Cup schedule today: July 5
How to watch FIFA World Cup games today
Watch Brazil vs. Norway
Fan-favorite Erling Haaland, Norway’s 6’5″ giant center forward, is proving himself one of the game’s most unstoppable forces, but he will have his work cut out for him against the more experienced Brazil team, led by their all-time top goal scorer, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior. Legendary soccer manager and current coach of the Brazil team, Carlo Ancelotti, known as “Don Carlo” to the soccer faithful in Brazil, will battle Norway’s Ståle Solbakken in what is sure to be a chess-like battle of wits between the two master strategists.
Live coverage will be on Fox and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.
Mashable Top Stories
Watch Mexico vs. England
Coming into Sunday’s match, Mexico has not allowed a single goal in the entire tournament thus far, the only team to have held their opponents scoreless going into the round of 16, but if they’re going to continue this streak, they’ll have to shut down the two-pronged attack of Harry Kane (now the nation’s top scorer in the history of the World Cup!) and top-tier midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has already racked up four goals and one assist in England’s journey to the top.
And for this match, there’s an added twist: Mexico will have home-field advantage in Mexico City, one of the loudest venues in all of soccer. ¡Olé!
Live coverage will be on Fox and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.
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More live streaming options
Live TV cable replacement
Not interested in signing up for a standalone streaming service like Fox One or Peacock? You can sign up for a live TV cable replacement service, like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.
These services carry over 100 live channels, but run off a WiFi connection. You’ll get live access to Fox and FS1, plus a whole lot more. Here are some options to consider:
Watch the World Cup for free with a VPN
It’s possible to watch the World Cup for free on international services like ITVX, BBC iPlayer, NOS, or RTÉ. Our global World Cup watch guide can walk you through the process.
You will need a VPN to live stream the World Cup on these free streaming services. We recommend ExpressVPN — a Mashable-tested service and an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Europe — as our VPN of choice for sport. It offers servers in 105 countries, a user-friendly app available on all major devices, a speedy connection, and up to 10 simultaneous connections.
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN
Entertainment
Marvel Icon Punished For Having A Huge Bulge
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Have you played Marvel Rivals? If you can get over the fact that it’s basically a reskinned version of Overwatch, it’s a lot of fun. This is a hero shooter where you take control of a character from the wide world of Marvel. There are a variety of team-based multiplayer modes; this variety, along with the fact that the game is free-to-play, keeps players coming back for more. How do the developers make money, though? Simple: they charge players for “skins” which completely change the look of the character. Many skins are modeled after famous outfits from the comics, and others are modeled after character designs in the MCU.
Whatever their original inspiration was, though, all of these skins have one thing in common: they are way hornier than you’d expect them to be. There are plenty of revealing outfits that pair perfectly with thirsty character designs that players can’t stop drooling over. Unfortunately, players recently discovered that the game had gone a little too far with Captain America’s latest summer skin. You see, the skin gave Cap a bulge so big that it messed up some of his in-game animations. This caused the Chinese developer to do the unthinkable: they shrunk Captain America’s penis, and they waited until the Fourth of July to do it!
The Battle Of The Bulge
Every year, Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games releases skimpy summer swimwear outfits for various characters. This may seem like just a cheap way to appeal to gooner gamers, but it’s arguably a throwback to the ‘90s, when Marvel similarly appealed to horny comic book nerds with thirsty swimsuit specials. Captain America got an especially scandalous skin this summer, one that was basically short shorts and a skimpy tank top that showed off his hairy, muscled chest. Normally, fans would be panting about Cap’s thick legs and arms, but this skin made them fixate on something else: the comically huge bulge of the character’s penis.
Seriously, this thing wobbled with its own physics. While fans were both excited and scared (scaroused, if you will), some wondered if Captain America having such a huge package was an accident. Like, maybe the character model got tweaked in such a way that its pelvis was extending outward, giving the appearance of a much larger bulge. At any rate, it definitely seemed to be a mistake. In the game, Cap has an emote that echoes the recording in Spider-Man: Homecoming where he pulls out a chair and then sits in it. Previously, players activating this emote with the summer skin encountered a bug: Cap’s big, floppy unit clipping right through the chair!
Now, without making any kind of official announcement, NetEase games seems to have fixed the issue. While Captain America still has an impressive bulge, it’s not as obscenely huge as it once was. Furthermore, it no longer clips through the chair when players use the aforementioned emote. All’s well that ends well, right? Sort of. While the timing could be a coincidence, many players couldn’t help but notice how the Chinese developer waited until Independence Day to shrink Captain America’s weiner down to size. Do y’all really think this will even slow down an aroused Cap, though? It’s like the man says: he can do this all day!
Astros snap Rays' 9-game win streak on Yordan Alvarez walk-off HR
The Sci-Fi Thriller That Killed Director's Career Deserves Another Look
