She's All That (1999) Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Kevin Pollack, Usher Raymond, Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones, Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Anna Paquin, Tim Matheson. Cinematography by Francis Kenny. Screenplay by R. Lee Fleming Jr. Directed by Robert Iscove. 95 minutes. Rated PG-13, 2.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com
"Pygmalion" meets "Saved By The Bell" in the featherweight comedy "She's All That," a formula teen flick redeemed by a scattering of inventive moments, coupled with the sheer charm of lead players Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. The pre-fab romance, while far from memorable, works when viewed as cinematic sherbet; a pleasant diversion to while away the time until something more substantial comes along. Put simply, if it were the offering on a long airplane flight, I'd pony up a few bucks for the headphones.
The plot is old enough to warrant carbon-dating. On a bet, a high school hunk sets out to turn an ugly duckling into the prom queen. From that sentence, you should be able to anticipate absolutely everything that happens in "She's All That." If not, perhaps a "Teletubbies" marathon would be more to your liking.
As with all makeover stories, you spot the swan-to-be immediately. She's the one whose dark-rimmed glasses, messy hair and rumpled clothing couldn't possibly disguise the fact that she is knock-out, drop-dead gorgeous. What a treat it would be if, just once, the "ugly duckling" was actually unattractive. Or, even better, if the young woman turned to her "benefactor" said "No thank you, I like myself just the way I am and have no desire to be done up in Cosmopolitan drag. I treasure my individuality and, if you require a perky teen queen, why don't you ask Jennifer Love Hewitt to the sock hop and leave me alone?"
But enough dreaming. This is, after all, a corporate product, and the filmmakers slavishly adhere to the tried and true teen movie formula. The de rigueur soundtrack from flavor-of-the-day pop stars throbs incessantly in the background, while scenes are kept short and snappy, to avoid challenging those audience members suffering from attention-deficit disorder. The young cast is a veritable Whitman's Sampler from recent teen movies, with two actors from the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" films, two from the "Scream" movies, two from "Can't Hardly Wait," two from "The Faculty," both leads from "The Mighty," and one cast member each from "Varsity Blues" and "Halloween H20." If these kids decide to mate, inbreeding will be of paramount concern.
As is the norm, the supporting characters are broad caricatures. Matthew Lillard ("Scream") gleefully chews scenery as a thinly-veiled variant of Puck, the social Neanderthal from "The Real World" who gained fame by being thrown out of the house by his roommates. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe ("Halloween H20") hams it up as a "Melrose Place" style villainess, and Paul Walker ("Varsity Blues") sneers a lot as a jock with a heart of coal.
Of the adults, only two leave any impression. "Animal House's" Tim Matheson looks depressingly haggard as Prinze's father, while comic and character actor Kevin Pollack brightens the screen as Cook's papa, a chronically-preoccupied pool cleaner with an acerbic wit.
With a film as fluffy as "She's All That," everything hinges on the appeal of the lead actors and, thankfully, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook have plenty. Cook is a tiny thing, a sweet-faced youth who convincingly projects vulnerability and defensiveness, along with a welcome sense of underlying strength. Prinze, who gave a wonderfully subtle, complex performance in the delicious black comedy "The House of Yes," does solid work here, infusing his character with a nice blend of uncertainty and earnestness. Prinze is handsome in an unfinished way - - I suspect his face will age well. Hopefully, this film will offer both actors the showcase they need to snag more substantial roles in the future.
In addition to Prinze and Cook's charisma, "She's All That" manages to sneak a few moments of originality into the formula. Early in the story, as Prinze's girlfriend explains why she is dumping him for Lillard, the film jumps to a flashback sequence on a beach, and as the scene progresses, Prinze strolls along the side of the action, offering pointed color commentary on the reminiscence. Later, Prinze visits a theater to witness Cook in a wickedly funny parody of performance art and, towards the end of the movie, an incongruous dance number livens things up. Bits like those, along with lead actors able to transcend their material, left me with a smile on my face. "She's All That" is a distinctly minor pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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