Law Revue Video Contest: Honorable Mentions

You’ve already seen the finalists and the worst of the worst for our Law Revue Video Contest. These last few videos weren’t quite good enough to make it to the finals, but we haven’t started drinking yet today, and they still gave us some chuckles.

You still have the weekend to pick the best entry in our Law Revue Video Contest. Every vote matters; there is a tight battle going on between the dirty-minded Columbia students and the clever emcees/crooners over at George Washington.

While the voting battle rages on, we wanted to feed your YouTube addiction just a little bit more. You’ve already seen the worst of the worst. These next few videos weren’t quite good enough to make it to the finals, but I haven’t started drinking yet today, and they still gave me some chuckles.

Without further ado, check out our “Honorable Mentions” for this year…

UNC — David After His First Exam

I found this funny in sort of a Wes Anderson/Bill Murray way. It actually had me laughing out loud. The whole set-up is pretty ludicrous: the single shot the whole way through in a car that’s clearly not moving — even though “David” is still wearing his seatbelt — is even sillier with a grown up. Somehow the intentional sloppiness made it feel natural, and I think I know exactly where he’s coming from. I thought it was a clever translation of the stoned child coming from the dentist to the morose twentysomething completely uninterested in (and borderline depressed about) his day-to-day existence.

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Emory Law School — Justice John Marshall (feat. Richard Freer)

At some level, I kind of feel bad for these guys. This video would have looked better had the folks at George Washington University not knocked it out the park with the same parody that was debatably better than the Lonely Island’s original. They get dinged because singing here is a bit weak, and there are some major dubbing issues.

But major kudos to Professor Richard Freer for a valiant performance. I appreciated the inclusion of the John Paul Stevens signature bow tie, and the courageous Justice Ginsburg getup (although I’m not sure if watching him put on lipstick was funny or a little unsettling). It’s also cool/strange that one of the Emory students does strangely resemble Jorma Taccone from the Lonely Island.

But really, you can’t knock Emory too hard for not keeping up with George Washington. Those guys are just on the ball. Their second submission is also worth a mention:

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George Washington — Drunk Cases

This video is a parody of Funny-or-Die’s Drunk History series. I enjoyed the fact that they borrowed the narrative format but created an entirely original “episode,” instead of simply parodying a pre-existing one (as they did with Jack Sparrow/Palsgraf). My colleague Staci Zaretsky says she remembers this case from her 1L year, and she says the George Washington folks did a wonderful job re-creating it.

The acting, costumes, set design, and other production values are great — whoever wrote and produced the George Washington videos should really consider a career in film instead of law. My one complaint is that it does run a bit long — five minutes — but it still manages not to drag too much.

SMU — La Oficina de Servicios Profesionales

This video was funny because it was so sad. It was just a big anti-joke. After about ten seconds, you pretty much know where it’s going. And it doesn’t make it any less funny. We also appreciate this as an interesting counterpart to the other SMU video, which was all about hope. No ying without yang, yadda yadda.

And that about wraps it up. On that pleasant note, happy Friday everyone. Before you hit the bars tonight, remember to vote for the finalists. Again, polls close on MONDAY, APRIL 23, at 11:59 PM (Eastern time).

Earlier: Law Revue Video Contest 2012: The Finalists!
Law Revue Video Contest: Dishonorable Mentions