Goofy title aside, Shithouse provides a surprisingly genuine coming-of-age character study of a fraught college freshman. This is a movie that takes great care in tackling one’s anxiety, naïveté, and desperation within the life changing world of “higher learning.” The trepidations of our main character, Alex, are explored superbly by writer/director and star Cooper Raiff. Here, Raiff is all kinds of vulnerable, while still maintaining a strong sense of likability and charm (it’s a really great performance). And while this is a character with LOTS going on inside his head, the movie’s plot doesn’t nearly have as much going on. It’s all pretty straightforward from the get-go, with the only big narrative jump coming in the final 10 or so minutes. But, it works – the rambling mundanity of it all only adds to the appeal, no doubt leaving viewers nostalgic for their own days of school tests and late-night partying. So, while not a big splashy college romp, Shithouse perfectly captures the “late adolescent” in their most raw state – and it’s well worth watching!