SHE'S ALL THAT
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew
Lillard, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Paul Walker
DIRECTOR: Robert Iscove
WRITER: Lee Fleming
RATED: PG-13
RELEASED: 1999
RATING: ** 1/2 (out of a possible ****)
I'll preface my comments on Robert Iscove's new teen comedy "She's All That" with a disclaimer: I am definitely not the film's target audience, and my review will probably reflect that. It's been nearly a decade since I graduated from high school, and in the intervening years I've been forced to learn about finances, insurance and responsibility. Wondering how the rent is going to be paid and when I'll have the money to get the car fixed, the once burning issue of "Who am I going to the prom with?" no longer seems quite so important. I, along with the rest of the people in my age group, have moved on to other things; as such, the characters in most high-school comedies seem alien to me. Anxiety over the prom? I simply can't relate. Afraid of not getting into the college of your choice? Sorry, that's too far in my past for me to empathize with you.
With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying much of "She's All That." Slick and humorous, the film has a lot of fun with its well-worn plot; watching it, we get the sense that everyone involved with the movie is having a good time. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and it's a good thing: this agreeable tone of goofiness is largely responsible for the film's charm.
As is required by the plot of all teenager-themed movies, our hero, Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) has it all: a handsome face, a beautiful girlfriend, the adoration of his classmates, and so many universities banging on his door that he can't decide which one to attend. But things soon begin to unravel when his girlfriend Taylor (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) breaks up with him to date TV star Brock Hudson (played with pleasantly obnoxious gusto by SCREAM's Matthew Lillard), who she met at a beach party. (The program that the Brock character stars on is none other than MTV's "The Real World," a great satirical wink to modern teen culture. The phony clips of Brock appearing on the show generated some of the film's biggest laughs.)
Zack's friends offer their condolences over the breakup, but he shrugs it off. His ego is such that he believes all the girls in the school will be lining up to go out with him; after all, being Zack's girlfriend is a free ticket to popularity. His friend Dean (Paul Walker) expresses doubt about Zack's claim, which leads to a bet: Dean will select one of the girls in the school, and Zack will try to turn her into the next Prom Queen. Dean eventually selects the shy, introspective Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook), a timid artist who seems to have little interest in anything other than painting and spending time alone.
Zack wastes no time in trying to get to know Laney; although she's wary of his intentions at first ("What is this, some kind of dork outreach program?" she accuses), she gradually begins to warm to him. Their relationship begins, although Laney doesn't know that Zack is merely trying to win a bet. Will Zack fall in love with her by the end of the story? Does the Pope wear a goofy hat?
As I said, nothing about the plot is the least bit original; it's the spiritual descendent of "My Fair Lady," but without the music. The charm of the story stems not from the subject matter, but from the playful nature of the performances and writing. The film's wit is surprisingly sharp, allowing the characters to throw zingers at each others like refugees from a Kevin Smith film. (Taylor, determined to beat Laney in the race for Prom Queen, gets the funniest quip: "I could win this contest in fluroscent lighting, on the first day of my period, clothed in T.J. Max.") And another scene features an art show, where astoundingly deep poetry is recited: "My soul is an island. My car is a Ford." That's the sort of ridiculous dialogue that we're dealing with. Smile. Go ahead. You know you want to.
The characterization isn't bad either, even for those with limited screen time. Laney's father, played with warmth by Kevin Pollack, is fascinating in his own right; I liked his clever "warm-fuzzy" speech about living one's life to the fullest. And Laney, as played by Rachael Leigh Cook, has a wide range of conflicting thoughts and emotions over the events which unfurl in her life during the course of the film. Only Taylor and Brock feel like one-note characters/villains (though I'm sure it was intended with Brock; Matthew Lillard's performance is too much fun for me to call it "shallow.")
One scene does much to counteract the pseudo- intellectual tone of the film, however: a gratuitous scene which involves a pizza topping you won't find on any menu. I'll say no more, except to lament the sudden shift in both the tone and IQ of the story. It's a shame that a movie which is surprisingly smart for so much of its duration felt the sudden urge to cater to the lowest common denominator, a criticism I also leveled at "There's Something About Mary." Other scenes are nearly as painful, including a gag in which an elderly man invites Laney, who works at a fast-food restaurant, to "supersize his balls." (They're meatballs, see. Har har.)
The movie also hits one of my personal pet peeves, as those of you who've been reading my reviews for awhile can attest: beautiful actresses playing characters who are supposed to be ugly. The lovely Janeane Girafalo began this unfortunate trend in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs"; Rachael Leigh Cook continues it here. Are we really supposed to believe that someone this attractive has been oblivious to her beauty for so long? And that the instant she takes her glasses off, she, a social outcast, is immediately loved by everyone?
Never mind. "She's All That" is pleasant enough entertainment, if hardly a masterpiece. I'm not sure that I can go so far as to actually recommend it to anyone over the age of eighteen, but I do commend director Iscove and screenwriter Fleming for coming so close to the mark. I admit, I had a good time. It seems there may still be some life in the teen comedy, a genre I had long since dismissed. Semper fi, Zack and Laney.
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