''The Newest Pledge'' is a 2012

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Jason Michael Brescia. The film is about the hard-partying Omega fraternity and their struggles to raise a baby that they find on their doorstep. The film was released in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

Plot

The morning after a night of binge drinking and patriotic partying, the Omega

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

awaken to find a baby on their doorstep. After little deliberation, the fraternity members, led by their president Hodges, decide to raise the baby and name him Kegston. In a short period of time raising a baby runs the fraternities finances dry, leading Hodges to seek advice from former Omega president, and current professor at the university Professor Street (played by

Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse franchise. E ...

). On the verge of losing their baby due to bankruptcy, Pledge, a freshman fraternity member, suggests that the Omega's throw a party to raise funds. Despite Phi Tau Tau, the rival fraternities best attempt to ruin the party, the Omega's raise the funds necessary to keep Kegston only to be hit with the news that no non-students can live in Greek housing. This leads Hodges, along with his fraternity brothers Night Train, 39, and Renato to visit President Dumervile (played by

Mindy Sterling Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has amassed multiple live action and voice-over credits across film and television. Her accolades include nominations for two Pr ...

). Despite schmoozing the President to the best of their abilities, President Dumervile informs the Omega's that it is too late in the year for her to make any changes, and that "rules are rules". Days later, with hope dwindling, Night Train, the schools championship

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

gets drafted into the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and decides to use his money to start a scholarship for babies. The school and President Dumervile then allow Kegston to be a student at the university, foiling Phi Tau Tau's second attempt to rid the Omega's of their newest member. Later in the semester, at the Omega's Spring Formal, Hodges declares Pledge the candidate to succeed him as President of the Omegas. The Omega's hadn't lost a Greek Board election in almost a century, but Rico (played by Joseph Booton), the leader of the Phi Tau Tau's, creates a campaign slandering the Omega's, stating that they kidnapped the baby. Rico and Pledge's presidential contest culminates at the Greek Board debate where Pledge presents a paternity test to President Dumervile stating who the real father of the baby is.

Release

''The Newest Pledge'' premiered on October 30, 2010 at the

New Beverly Cinema The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by the filmmaker Quentin ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Before its wide release on August 28, 2012, the film screened at the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Comedy Film Festival, the Wet Your Pants Comedy Film Festival in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and Indie Fest United States in

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city in an east–west direction. The west ...

. The film had several private or limited engagement theatrical screenings including a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

premiere at Cinema Village, a screening at the

Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is one of 10 schools constituting Chapman University, located in Orange, California, south of Los Angeles. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, with programs in film production, screenwritin ...

where several key crew members graduated, and a screening at the

art house An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

theater in Jason Michael Brescia's home town of

Malverne, New York Malverne is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 8,560 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a ...

. The film was released in 16x9 widescreen 1.78:1 and

Dolby Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (Dolby Labs or simply Dolby) is a British-American technology corporation specializing in audio noise reduction, audio encoding/compression, spatial audio, and high-dynamic-range television (HDR) imaging. Dolby li ...

5.1 digital audio by

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

. The DVD also includes commentary with writer director Jason Michael Brescia, and actors Kevin Myers, Rob Steinhauser, and Beth Lepley.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newest Pledge 2012 films American comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films about fraternities and sororities