She's All That (1999)

Directed by: Robert Iscove

Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Kevin Pollack, Kieran Culkin, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Dule Hill, Gabrielle Union, Usher Raymond and Anna Paquin

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Teen Comedy, Romantic Comedy

Zack Siler (Prinze Jr.) thinks he has it made. He’s a soccer star, the most popular guy in school, has his choice of Ivy League colleges, and the hottest girlfriend. When Taylor (O’Keefe) dumps him for reality TV star Brock Hudson (Lillard), Zack is shocked and hurt. This doesn’t stop him from making a bet with his friend Dean (Walker) that he could take any girl in school and turn her into the prom queen. Enter Laney Boggs (Cook), the solitary art freak who is more interested in the world’s problems than prom. Will Zack stick to the bet, or will he realize there’s more to Laney than meets the eye?

While this movie is cute, it has always struck a negative chord with me. It’s never been a personal favorite of mine, even when I was a young teen. I don’t know why, exactly. Maybe it’s because Zack doesn’t really seem to fall for Laney until after she’s made over to fit society’s idea of beautiful. Maybe it’s because Laney can’t seem to stand up for herself when she needs to most. I can’t put my finger on it, but for some reason this movie never charmed me.

For one thing, the characters are all rather clichéd, not seeming to have any true personality. The only character who is the least bit different from the usual is Laney. She’s an artist, a feminist, someone who cares about world issues. These are the reasons kids her age avoid her – because she focuses on things that they don’t want to think about. They just want to kick back and have fun, not worry about real world issues (unless it is the latest episode of the MTV reality series). Zack could easily be interchanged with half the other romantic lead male characters of the 90s teen comedies. Then, of course, there’s his jerkwad best friend (Dean), his nice guy friend (Preston), the bitchy, self-involved popular girl (Taylor), her lackeys, and the comic relief (Brock). None have distinct personalities; they all kind of blend together.

The acting is decent. Normally, I rag on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s acting, but the male lead in romantic comedies is all he seems to know how to do. In these films he’s cute and charming; it’s when he tries to be serious that I feel he falls flat. Rachael Leigh Cook is adorable and she brings the right amount of attitude to Laney Boggs – well as much as the script allowed, anyway. I could see Laney punching Taylor in the face or shoving her into the pool at Preston’s party, but apparently the screenwriters didn’t see that fitting her character. Matthew Lillard was hilarious as Brock Hudson, and honestly his dance scene is the only reason I’ve watched this film more than once. The other characters are really too minor to note.

I think the plot itself may be what bothers me the most about this film. The audience finds itself rooting for Zack and Laney to get together, even though it’s known that Zack is spending time with her to win a bet. Yes, we are aware that he’s falling for her, of course he is, that’s the formula of the genre. Still, he doesn’t really see her for her until she changes to fit his ideal. After her make over, she may still wear her paint spattered clothes, but her style is more tuned in to popular fashion. She also fixes her hair every day, wears make up when she never did before, and stops wearing her glasses. Worst of all, he gets her to open up to him, when there’s still a good chance he’s using her to win the bet. As someone who is a lot like Laney, opening up to new people terrifies me, especially since I’ve been hurt so many times. I feel for her, and understand why she doesn’t trust easily, so when she opens up to him, I fear for her.

The ending is fairly predictable, but if you’ve seen one teen romantic comedy, you’ve seen them all. Also, am I the only one who finds the choreographed Senior Class Dance a little awkward and unrealistic?

There are a few things I noticed in the film that, as a Buffy fan, made me geek out a little. Sarah Michelle Gellar can easily be spotted in the cafeteria scene. The prom photographer was a villain in the episode “Anne.” Also, the high school where this film was shot is the same high school that was used as Sunnydale High.

Overall, it’s not a bad flick, but it is clichéd and predictable. Laney is the only character I really like, and even she could use some work. The film is cute, but nothing special.

6/10

Mean Girls 1 & 2 (2004 - 2011)

Mean Girls (2004)

Directed by: Mark Waters

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, Jonathan Bennett, Amy Poehler, Neil Flynn, Ana Gasteyer and Tim Meadows

Genre: Comedy, Teen Comedy

Rated: PG-13

Based on the book, Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman

Sixteen-year-old Cady Heron (Lohan) is going to public school for the first time, and is immediately overwhelmed by current teen culture. At first her only friends are Janis (Caplan) and Damien (Franzese), but soon she catches the eye of The Plastics – the most popular girls in school. At Janis’s insistence, she continues to hang out with these girls to get the inside scoop. However, it becomes war when Regina (McAdams) knowingly steals Cady’s crush, and Cady joins forces with Janis to take down Regina once and for all.

I’m actually surprised how this movie had to grow on me. I first saw it when it hit DVD I wasn’t that impressed. It took me a few years to really enjoy the humor and understand the message of the film. Also I wasn’t as big of a fan of Tina Fey as I am today, and it sometimes takes a bit to understand her brand of funny.

The characters in this film are fabulous. Cady is great as the center focus of the film, but she is pretty much the straight character to everyone else’s quirks. Her character develops while little changes in the rest of them – but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I have to say Janis and Regina steal the show as the true mean girls. Janis has held a grudge against Regina since junior high, when Regina made her an outcast, and she has to use her own defensive humor to get her through the days at school. She jumps at the chance to destroy Regina’s life. Meanwhile, Regina is the typical spoiled little rich girl who gets everything she could possibly want and isn’t grateful for any of it. She’s the girl you love to hate. As Damien says, “She’s fabulous, but she’s evil.”

The rest of the characters are great as well. Damien is the hilarious “gay best friend” and only true friend Janis has until Cady enters the picture. Gretchen (Chabert) and Karen (Seyfried) are giggle-inducing as Regina’s lackeys, and of course the quirky doesn’t end with the students. Ms. Norbury (Fey) has Tina’s dry, self-deprecating wit, Mr. Duval (Meadows) tries too hard to relate to the students, and Mrs. George (Poehler) is the overly exaggerated “cool mom” that tries to be friends with the teenage girls.

The performances are all pitch perfect. I don’t have a single complaint with the casting. In fact, this movie often makes me a little sad because it reminds me of what Lohan could have been if she had just kept her act together. Instead, the film’s breakout stars are actually Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, who have gone on to make many popular films.

I really enjoy the message of this movie – which is, ultimately, be yourself and you’ll find true happiness. The people who deserve to be in your life will be there anyway. I loved Cady’s character arc as she discovers the awful things girls do to each other, gets caught up in it, and finally finds her way back to herself. The movie lectures against being mean to one another and learning to respect everyone no matter their differences. It’s a humorous look at the evil things girls do to one another in order to be more popular, get a guy, win a crown, etc, and examines if it is all really worth it in the end.

I think this is a great film that should be watched by all preteen to teenage girls and their mothers. It explores the evil of girlhood and explains how it’s best to avoid such behavior, all the while being funny and entertaining.

8/10

 

Mean Girls 2 (2011)

Directed by: Melanie Mayron

Starring: Meaghan Martin, Claire Holt, Maiara Walsh, Nicole Gale Anderson, Jennifer Stone, Bethany Anne Lind and Tim Meadows

Genre: TV Movie, Comedy, Teen Comedy

Rated: PG-13

Jo Mitchell (Martin) is new to North Shore High, having landed at her fifth school in three years. Since her father moves around a lot for his job fixing NASCAR race cars, Jo never stays at the same school very long, thus she has some ground rules: she doesn’t make friends or date because she will just have to move and leave it all behind. But all that changes when she begins her senior year at North Shore and meets Abby Hanover (Stone), the richest outcast ever. Abby’s father offers to pay Jo to be Abby’s friend and Jo agrees, only to find that being Abby’s friend really angers Mandi (Walsh) leader of The Plastics – who makes it her personal mission to ruin Jo’s life.

Aside from being an unnecessary made-for-TV sequel, the first part of this film really isn’t bad. I really liked Jo’s character – she was a badass with confidence and didn’t let the typical rules of social hierarchy dictate her life. She takes shop, loves junk food, drives a Vespa and has no problem telling the bitchy popular chicks where to stick it. Abby is also adorable as the shy outcast, secret artist, and frequent victim of Mandi’s torment.

However, aside from Tyler, Jo’s love interest, Jo and Abby are really the only decent characters in the film. While in the first movie The Plastics were mean but still likable, here they are just evil with no redeeming characteristics. They are cliché cardboard cutouts of typical popular girls – I was surprised none of them were on the cheerleading squad. Then, of course, there’s the brown-nosing Quinn (Lind) who longs to be popular and will hang with whoever seems to hold the crown in that department. I wanted to smack her in every scene that she was in.

I didn’t really like the story of this flick. It starts off great with Jo strutting into school with her kickass attitude and the first thirty minutes or so are great. I really liked that Jo held her head high through most of Mandi’s attacks, and didn’t stoop to her level until Mandi sabotaged the car Jo’s father was working on. Jo does not take attacks on her family easily, nor should she. It is only then that she begins to lose herself in “Girl World” and taking down Mandi.

After that thirty minute mark, this film stepped out of the realm of realistic. I don’t believe for a second that Mandi and her dimwit friends would have the first clue how to sabotage a car – they don’t have a techie brain cell amongst the three of them. Nor that these girls wouldn't be charged with crimes such as trespassing and destruction of private property. No need to fight like a girl, just have the brat arrested. Also, as a once-victim of mean girl attacks, they don’t usually go after your family – they just make your life a living hell. This action proves psychotic and out of bounds, even for a “mean girl.” Especially when Jo’s only crime was being nice, confident, and attractive – basically being more appealing than Mandi. In fact, all of the “Crimes Against Mandi” are ridiculous – Abby feeding Mandi’s dog, having a better purse, or getting a better parking spot – is that REALLY stuff that teenage girls attack each other over? Has my five years outside of high school put me THAT out of the loop?

I also don’t understand why Jo challenges Mandi to a football game. What is that supposed to prove? Jo says, “We’re going to settle this like men,” well, then punch her in the face! That is how guys resolve issues, they beat the crap out of each other and then go get a beer. They don’t challenge each other to a game of football  - especially one that gives the players a week or so to prepare for. Jo had nothing to lose at that point, why not just tackle the snob and have it out physically? Oh, because that would promote violence and that’s something we need to avoid teaching kids. I’m not promoting it, but sometimes it is the only way to get a bully off your back. Also, it's a far more realistic reaction to Mandi's attacks than what actually happened. 

There are also some inconsistencies between this one and the first, namely that in the original, North Shore High was located in Illinois, not Ohio. Also, the original Plastics didn’t call themselves The Plastics, that was a snide name for them made up by their classmates. In this version, Mandi and her friends hold the title proudly, and they don’t even come close to being the originals. The writing was mediocre at best, and the three writers on this flick couldn’t match the single talent of Tina Fey.

The acting was amateur, but Martin and Stone stood out among the kids, and Meadows was funny in his revival of Principal Duval. The Plastics were sup-par in my opinion, but that could also be because their characters were so weak they really had nothing to work with. The actors can only do so much with what they are given, and when they are only given one-dimensional characters with few personality traits, there’s not much they can do.

I also found the wardrobe in this movie laughable. The Plastics boast about owning Prada, Versace and Jimmy Choo, yet their wardrobe looks like it came from the junior’s department of JC Penney. (No slam to the company, I shop there frequently.) While The Plastics in the first film looked sleek and put together, these girls look childish. Also, I’ve never seen knee high nylons with skirts being revered as fashionable. Who wears heels when breaking and entering, especially to sabotage a racecar? Lastly, I would think Mandi would have a little more class than to have a giant tramp stamp, but I guess not.

Overall, this is quite the forgettable, unnecessary sequel. The story is weak, the mean girls over the top, and the acting mediocre. It’s okay for a watch if you’re bored on a rainy afternoon or are curious about the Mean Girls sequel, but honestly, I’ll stick with the original.

5.5/10

Wish Upon a Star (1996)

Directed by: Blair Treu

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Danielle Harris, Donnie Jeffcoat, Scott Wilkinson, Mary Parker Williams, Matt Barker and Lois Chiles

Genre: Teen, Family

Rated: PG

In this take on the Freaky Friday switcheroo, the story follows two sisters, Alexia and Hayley Wheaton, who couldn’t be more different. Alexia (Heigl) is beautiful, outgoing and popular, but a bit of an airhead. Hayley (Harris) is her nerdy socially awkward little sister who would do anything to live Alexia’s life. One night while studying for an astronomy exam, Hayley sees a shooting star and makes a wish. The next morning, the girls have switched bodies. What follows is both comical and dramatic as the girls learn what life is like in each other’s lives and the true bond of sisterhood.

I first saw this movie as a kid, when the Disney channel actually played movies worth watching. It was often paired back to back with either Susie Q or the Escape to Witch Mountain remake. I loved everything about this movie, but mostly Heigl’s wardrobe. However, I did become a fan of both Harris and Heigl because of this movie and have followed the work of both actresses ever since.

Now, I still adore the film. While the concept isn’t exactly original – it has been done to death in countless versions of Freaky Friday and multiple knock offs – the writing and performances really pulled the film together. The other actors fade into the background around our two leading ladies. Danielle Harris did an excellent job of switching from the shy, nerdy outcast to the snotty, nit-picky popular girl. Heigl’s performance is a bit less convincing, but she still does a great job with the material.

What I really liked about the film was how each sister was able to find herself through living the other sister’s life. Though there is definitely some conflict in the beginning, by the end of the ordeal the girls come out with a better understanding of each other and themselves. I feel the film pushes two solid messages that every teenage girl should learn – stand up for what you believe in and always be yourself.

Overall, a fun body-swapping flick with a few positive messages built in. I first saw this when I was about ten years old, and I love it just as much at age twenty-three as I did then.  

8/10

Get Over It (2001)

Directed by: Tommy O’Haver

Starring: Ben Foster, Kirsten Dunst, Sisqo, Colin Hanks, Martin Short, Ed Begley Jr., Shane West, Mila Kunis, and Swoozie Kurtz

Genre: Comedy, Teen Comedy

Rated: R

Burke Landers (Foster) has just been dumped by Allison, the girl he believes is perfect for him, and he is determined to get her back. This determination only increases when she begins dating the new guy at school, Striker (West), who is a member of a boy band and uses a terrible British accent to impress women. When his ex and Striker decide to try out for the school play, a horribly butchered musical version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Burke decides to try out as well. Kelly (Dunst) offers to help him – in hopes that he will notice her. What follows is a play on the original Shakespearean story, set in a modern high school.

I’ve heard this film compared to 10 Things I Hate About You, as both films are updated adaptations of Shakespeare’s works. However, this film isn’t nearly as good. I found it fairly lacking in the comedic area. It felt like it was going for cheap laughs at times. Martin Short’s performance as the overly dramatic and narcissistic theater director felt very over the top (which was probably the idea), and though he was funny at times, he became annoying quite easily. The plot itself felt very watered down. What was once a beautiful play becomes a fairly clichéd storyline when all the magic and fairies are removed. The ending is predictable.

Kelly and Burke are the only likable characters in the entire film. The others are either annoying or not memorable. The acting was okay, but I really didn’t feel like a lot of the actors were invested in their characters. Kirsten Dunst did a good job and she actually has a really nice singing voice. I love Ben Foster’s work, and he is great with comedy, but only when the dialogue is well-written. 

Overall, this isn’t a bad film, but it’s not a great one either. I simply didn’t find it funny. It’s a lack-luster effort that feels like it’s trying to cash in on the trend of updated film adaptations of Shakespeare for the teen audience.

5/10

Easy A (2010)

Directed by: Will Gluck

Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, and Malcolm McDowell

Genre: Comedy / Teen Comedy

Rated: PG-13

Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) has a big problem. What started as a lie to her best friend about losing her virginity to a fictional college guy, quickly turned into something potentially life-ruining. Her lie is overheard by the school’s resident Christian extremist, Marianne (Bynes) in the ladies room, and quickly spread around the school like wildfire. Olive begins getting a lot more attention, and she likes it.  When her friend Brandon asks her to pretend to have sex with him to save his social life, she agrees, but it soon backfires and she becomes known as the school slut. Now she has to figure out a way to let the entire school know the truth in order to save herself.

I thought this was a decent teen comedy. I’m not usually a fan of this genre, but this was a refreshing look into the teen world. For one thing, the protagonist is intelligent and witty. She is able to hold her own, despite the fact that her world is crumbling around her. She has strength and  a great sense of humor. I loved how some of the jokes were based on classic literature such as Huckleberry Finn and the writer, Sylvia Plath. It went along nicely with the fact that this is sort of a modern version of The Scarlett Letter. It was great to see a film that knows its subject matter and goes about displaying it intelligently. I also love how she references the classic John Hughes movies of the 80s, and then the film later pays homage to them. It recognizes the original teen comedies and then makes the formula its own.

The acting was good. Emma Stone lead the film with ease as our heroine, Olive. This is her story and she nails the role. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are absolutely hilarious as Olive’s permissive, “cool” parents. Amanda Bynes’ religious zealot character was believable, but still incredibly annoying. The rest of the actors fit their roles well, but the performances don’t really stand out. They all fit cohesively into the mix.

The dialogue was well-written and very  witty. The story, while not original, was well-put together and felt realistic. (Whether or not this would actually happen, has been subject for debate on many a message board.)

The movie is still flawed, however. Some of the characters were incredibly unlikable with no redeeming qualities, although, at the end of the film, I think we’re supposed to forgive them for their actions. Also, I didn’t feel a lot of narrative closure at the end of the film.

Overall: It was a decent entry into the teen comedy genre. It was witty, the jokes were intelligent – not all based on sex and bathroom humor as so many teen films are. Worth a watch, but I’m glad I waited for it to hit DVD/Netflix Instant Watch. It was fun, but it didn’t “wow” me.  Still, it will probably find its way into my collection at some point.

6.5 / 10