SHE'S ALL THAT (1999)
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Robert Iscove
Written by: Lee Fleming
Starring: Freddie Prinze, Jr, Rachael Leigh Cook
Synopsis: High school heartthrob and top jock Zach Syler (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) gets dumped by his girlfriend Taylor (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) for a self-absorbed MTV-type actor. On the rebound, Zach says to a buddy something like: "Without her hair and makeup, Taylor is just a C-minus GPA with a wonder bra. I can turn any female nerd into the high school prom queen." Soon enough a bet is made, and an introverted girl named Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) is selected for the relationship with Zach which will turn her into the prom queen. Of course, once the glasses come off, Laney is cute. Will true romance blossom? Will unpopular Laney turn out to be a gem? Will cute Zach fall in love with Laney and realize he's not just conducting a cruel experiment?
Opinion: Let me get something off my chest about today's teen movies before discussing SHE'S ALL THAT.
These days many TV shows and movies targeted towards teenage audiences invariably star sexually active 20-something actresses and actors masquerading as kids. One extremely disturbing trend in Hollywood lately is the Lolita syndrome where an adult has a sexual relationship with a child. For example in the TV show DAWSON'S CREEK a female teacher has sex with a male student. In SHE'S ALL THAT, Zach's high school girlfriend Taylor is the sex object of an older, MTV-type male actor. Similarly, there's a hint of Lolita in the scene when Zach is crowned prom king, and an enthralled female teacher plants a slobbery kiss on Zach's face (imagine if it were male teacher and a female kid). The previews shown at the movie theater ten minutes before I watched SHE'S ALL THAT advertised another "teen flick" about two teenagers plotting to sexually manipulate a naive girl. I'm glad that many so called "teen movies" have a PG-13 rating, because you don't want child audiences to mistake fantasy for reality.
Hollywood is fantasy. And if I am to believe my eyes, behavior which is statutory rape in real life is "cutting edge" in TV and movies routinely targeted towards younger audiences. Adult supervision, and rating these movies PG-13 might help ensure that, before being exposed to societal standards that nonchalantly portray adults having sex with high school children, the youngsters in the audience can tell fact from titillation.
SHE'S ALL THAT is predictable material, but done tastefully and artistically executed. For example, as Taylor explains to Zach why she is dumping him and reminisces about a summer beach party, instead of just leaving it as dialogue, the scene changes to the beach party itself. Both Taylor and Zach physically step into the party like phantoms and examine it even though Zach was never at the party and it's just Taylor's explanation.
SHE'S ALL THAT is a teen romance about two good kids with good behavior who end up liking each other. I watched the movie in a theater full of teens (mostly girls coming to ogle Freddie Prinze, Jr.), and they seemed well satisfied with it.
Reviewed by David Sunga January 30, 1999
Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com
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