SHE'S ALL THAT A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
SHE'S ALL THAT is an intelligent teen comedy -- bet you thought that was an oxymoron.
A retelling of the Pygmalion story, the movie takes a low-key approach to its comedy. Although you're more likely to smile than laugh out loud at the film's brand of humor, you'll appreciate its ability to appeal to teens without relying on crude sexual innuendoes, bawdy jokes or coarse profanity. Even if Lee Fleming's script has more than its share of cliches, it develops them in fresh and good-spirited ways that's likely to please the target teen audience as well as their parents.
As the story begins, Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.), the high school's student body president, honor student, star athlete and handsome hunk, is having girl trouble. The school's radio station refers to him as "a guy who's got dissed and dismissed" by his long time girlfriend, Taylor (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). The most popular kids in the class, they've been going together forever.
Recently, however, Taylor has ditched Zack for Brock (Matthew Lillard), the narcissistic star of a bad television show. In contrast to Zack's sweetness, Taylor has the charm of a pit bull. Described as someone with "a C- GPA in a Wonderbra," Taylor expects to be the center of all attention. There will be an election in a few weeks for the king and queen of the prom, and she has no doubts that she and Zack will win the crowns. As the head of the school's royalty, she doesn't need to treat others decently. She has always been the most popular and expects to remain thus, in perpetuity.
On a lark, Zack bets his buddy Dean (Paul Walker) that he can turn any girl into the prom queen. As soon as Dean sets eyes on Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook), he knows he has found his target. No one could convert such a social loser into a queen of anything. Laney is an artist whose friends suggest she kill herself as her only hope of success, since posthumous artwork sells. Laney, the type who wears bluejean overalls to the beach, spends her evening hours engaging in trashy, bohemian performance art.
Rachael Leigh Cook, who, along with Freddie Prinze Jr., had a small part in the hilarious, dark comedy THE HOUSE OF YES, gives SHE'S ALL THAT its special quality. She brings a soft-spoken humanity to her role that makes Laney into a wonderfully likeable and charming character. Laney is as crude on the outside as she is lovely on the inside, just the opposite of Taylor. When Zack first tries putting the moves on Laney, she looks at him with her serious little eyes through her nerdy style glasses and asks if he is engaging in some sort of "dork outreach program." (As you can guess, once she has the right makeup, hairdo and clothes, Laney easily outshines Taylor.)
Academy Award winner Anna Paquin does a nice turn in a small role as Mackenzie, Zack's sister. Mackenzie does what all good sisters do; they set their brothers straight as to how things are done. Every guy should have a take-charge sister like Mackenzie.
Director Robert Iscove's understated staging gives the film a remarkable grace and subtlety. With his serious approach to comedy, his actors never seem in danger of laughing at their own jokes. Adults, in the few times they appear in the story, are sources of amusement, not derision. Laney's father, for example, busily occupies his evening hours paying bills, while missing all the "Jeopardy" questions from the television.
"I feel just like Julie Roberts in PRETTY WOMAN," a blissful Laney declares in the end. "Except for that whole hooker thing." She ends up contented, and so will the viewers.
SHE'S ALL THAT runs 1:37. It is rated PG-13 for a little profanity and some sexual situations and would be fine for kids around 12 and up.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: www.InternetReviews.com
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