As a rule, I don’t like Tom Green in movies. On MTV’s “The Tom Green Show” a couple of years ago, Green was funny, and he retained this appealing sense of humor in the college comedy “Road Trip.” But when gross, stupid gags became his main talent in “Freddy Got Fingered,” his comedy seemed stale and unoriginal. And while “Stealing Harvard” is amusing, it does not completely redeem Green as an actor or comedian.

In the movie (which opened last Friday), the always-great Jason Lee (“Vanilla Sky”) plays the kindhearted, slightly tentative John. He and his fiancee, Elaine (Leslie Mann of “Orange County”), have just purchased a new home when his niece, Noreen (Tammy Blanchard of TV?s “Life with Judy Garland”), reminds him that he once promised to pay for her college education. The “small chunk” that she now needs for Harvard: $29,879. John is horrified – how can he possibly say no, especially since he’s like a father to Noreen? He turns to his landscaper friend Duff (Green), who seems to have many disturbing contacts who he say they can get them the $30,000, yet it seems that every possible plan is destined for failure.

Likewise, “Stealing Harvard” would be destined for failure, if it didn’t have Lee and the supporting cast to fall back on. While the plot is original and vaguely interesting, and the idea of troublesome college fees is one that all college students can relate to, the cast is what makes the movie better than my expectations could ever allow. Dennis Farina (“Snatch”) and Megan Mullally (TV?s “Will and Grace”) round out the cast as Elaine’s overprotective father and John’s outspoken, trashy sister, respectively.

While it certainly won’t win any Oscars next year, the movie does have plenty of gags, most of which are surprisingly clever and original. Writer Peter Tolan (“Analyze This”) deftly adds credible humor to even the sappiest scenes, not that there are many of them. The outrageous ways in which John and Duff attempt to get the money lend irrationality to “Stealing Harvard” that, thankfully, works well in the movie.

Overall, “Stealing Harvard” is a surprisingly well-done addition to the Guilty Pleasures Hall of Fame. It is neither good nor bad; an average addition to its somewhat indiscernible genre. As gag films go, it’s somewhere between the “American Pie” movies, and Green’s last horrendous venture into filmmaking, “Freddy Got Fingered.” He is tolerable, largely because he is not the star. While Green does overact (a lot), he does not ruin the movie, as I had expected he would.

The only thing that I can say for sure about “Stealing Harvard” is that it truly is one of a kind – and if nothing else, it makes Tom Green seem halfway funny again, a miracle in itself.