There was a time when having the “National Lampoon” brand name on top of a movie title meant something. Of course, that was a long, long time ago, when the label was tacked onto such classics as “Animal House” and roughly half of the “Vacation” flicks. Since then, it’s been used to push such forgotten fiascoes as “Senior Trip,” “Last Resort” and “Loaded Weapon 1.”

That “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder” is an improvement over those last three isn’t saying much. An unbelievably flat and derivative comedy, it plays like a lightweight combination of “Animal House” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but without the inspiration.

Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is the big man on campus, a party animal enjoying his seventh year as an undergraduate. Forced to find a new source of cash when Daddy stops paying his tuition, Van hires himself out as a party planner, turns geeks into girl magnets and gives the phrase “learning curves” a new meaning by organizing topless tutorials.

This behavior raises the ire of idealistic campus journalist Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid), who decides to discredit Van but instead surprise falls in love with him. This, of course, raises the ire of her pre-med boyfriend and his fraternity brothers. After that, it gets predictable.

Distributor Artisan Entertainment seems to be trying to cash in on the recent teen comedy craze and nostalgia for the gross-out comedies of the early ’80s. Unfortunately, all of the “Revenge of the Nerds” and “Breakfast Club” cameos in the world can’t save this limp biscuit of a comedy.

The only thing keeping it from being a complete waste of time is the charismatic performance of Reynolds.

Too bad it’s wasted here.