The typical landscape of a Newman film was the raw sidestreets of a city or the empty plains, in which a man would try to get a grip on an aimless, violent life.

ECONOMIST: Paul Newman

The 36-year-old Mr. Scanlon, whose film includes scenes of freshman orientation, Greek "Scare Games" and dormitories strewn with empty pizza boxes, didn't himself have a traditional college experience.

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