SHE'S ALL THAT Reviewed by Jamie Peck
A familiar story is spun under a fast pace and little else, true, but at least award "All That" a bag of chips for exuding endless charm and enthusiasm out of a cast of hot up-and-comers. The particularly appealing lead performers here are Freddie Prinze Jr. ("I Know What You Did Last Summer") and Rachael Leigh Cook (the infamous "This is your brain on heroin" commercial), respectively well-cast as popular jock Zack and nerdish outcast Laney, senior schoolmates in sunny So Cal. Taking a cue from "My Fair Lady"'s Henry Higgins, a bet is suggested that Zack can't turn Laney into the class queen with just eight weeks left until the prom. He accepts and pursues. She scratches her head at the sudden attention.
It's a given that this star-crossed twosome is going to fall in actual love, especially after she snips off her weird hairdo and trades in her frumpy overalls for a hot little red number. The source of suspense then hinges on whether or not Laney will learn of the unfortunate wager, and if so, whether or not there's still a happy ending waiting in the wings for our mismatched protagonists. Like, duh. The results of this eventually sticky dilemma is just as paint-by-numbers predictable as everything that comes before it, a shortcoming that wouldn't be as big if "She's All That" had supplanted the mechanics of its ho-hum narrative with more real imagination and wit.
Still, there are plenty of lively elements discovered amongst the clutter, and chief among them are the deft actors. "Scream"'s Matthew Lillard is a scream as a pugnacious former star of MTV's "The Real World" who plays a central but secondary role in the Zack-Laney courtship; Paul Walker ("Varsity Blues") and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe ("Halloween: H20") also have fun with their villain roles even as they fail to make much sense. And the unexpected tweaking of seemingly "ordinary" moments also provide welcome distraction, like a nicely choreographed dance sequence, numerous jabs at pop culture and the running commentary of a campus deejay (R&B star Usher Raymond) that seems to function as a Greek chorus.
The eventual sum of honest goodies like these elevates "She's All That" to a standing more notable than, as teen entertainment goes, at least half of the WB's hit youth-oriented programming. (And speaking of the WB, "Buffy" fans will adore that the Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, contributes an amusing, wordless cameo. Talk about a movie counting on its target viewers.) Even the film's broad attempts to satisfy all tastes end up creating an oddly amiable combo of fairy tale ambitions, coarse potty humor and quite a bit more. It's like planning to go to the prom with Mel Gibson, getting Mel Brooks for some of the evening, and wanting to stick around to see how things turn out.
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