Tired genre elements here include the "parents are out of town, let's invite the whole school over" party scene, plenty of gross-out humor, and adults portrayed as idiots. When Berke is arrested during a strip club raid, his parents (played by Swoozie Kurtz and Ed Begley, Jr.), say they're proud of him for getting on with his life after a painful breakup, and encourage him to go home and masturbate. When they catch him hosting a party at their home, they remark "If we had known, we would've sprung for a DJ," and offer him condoms.
The school's drama teacher is equally irresponsible, but laughing at teachers is somewhat of a time-honored institution in teen movies. Martin Short is hilarious as the flamboyant, self-important school musical director. (Parents should note, however that he bullies students and drinks from a flask).