Boys and Girls
rated PG-13 97 minutes Dimension Films starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Claire Forlani, Jason Biggs, Amanda Detmer, and Heather Donahue written by Andrew Lowery and Andrew Miller directed by Robert Iscove
A Review by Frankie Paiva
Director Robert Iscove and star Freddie Prinze Jr. both appeared last year in the similarly themed She's All That. In that film, Prinze's jock character was trying to win a bet by turning an outcast into the prom queen, only to fall in love with her. Boys and Girls takes place in college, the next step after high school, but some main elements are very much the same. Luckily, both films retain a romantic charm that makes them work. Some would attribute this to popular teen romance movie star Freddie Prinze Jr. Freddie did make movies like Down To You and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer work, but Boys and Girls owes its thanks to a marvelous supporting cast. These characters are where the film's real comedy comes from, and it makes the movie seem like less of a rehash.
Ryan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani) have been running into each other at different points in their lives. One time they get seated on a plane together, another incident years later has them meeting up after a football game when her boyfriend runs over his mascot costume. The two are gawky and more than a little strange. As luck would have it, they end up going to the same college, where they discover the other hasn't changed a bit. Ryan must still have a plan for everything and is very uptight. Jennifer is free-spirited and still scared of commitment. Their differences turn out to form a friendship and they start spending a lot of time with each other. Their roommates Hunter (Jason Biggs) who is always trying to score with the ladies, and Amy (Amanda Detmer) who is always talking about or talking with her therapist, join the circle of friends. Jennifer's convinced her and Ryan are just friends, and the two date other people. Ryan's brainy, straightforward, and very funny girlfriend Megan (The Blair Witch Project's Heather Donahue) and a guitarist are among them. However, Ryan and Jennifer can't hold their passion in much longer.
All of the actors are quite charming in their roles. Freddie Prinze Jr. does nothing new, but Claire Forlani finally gets the lead role she's been looking for. Both Forlani and Detmer get a chance at laughs they didn't get with their last movies, and they succeed. Hunter and Megan are the real comic characters though. Hunter makes up so many lies about himself to women, hoping it will quickly lead to sex for the night. His tactics, attitude, and actions are never short of ridiculous. Megan only appears in a few scenes, but was a standout character. Heather Donahue brings her control freak by-the-rules Megan to life, and steals the show. My favorite part of the movie is when Megan first approaches Ryan and directly asks him out. As she says once or twice, "I'm a laser. I know what I want and I go straight for it." The soundtrack for the film is very good, and there is a great scene where Jennifer takes Ryan out to a club where they dance to “Car Wash� by Rolls Royce. While dancing, they actually are being washed with soap and water by the club's plumbing system. This strange modern musical number was also a feature of She's All That.
The appealing actors can't make up for a large amount of very stupid and rather pointless lines. At times the lines get convincingly said, at other times not, and the movie never reaches a huge level of reality. Jennifer complains late in the film about movies like Sixteen Candles, and how they never show the relationship six months later when everything is starting to fall apart. Despite these comments, this movie does the same thing. I had to ask myself how long this relationship could possibly last, but for now it makes for an entertaining romance that is sure to please teenagers and adults alike.
B-
Frankie Paiva SwpStke@aol.com http://www.homestead.com/cinemaparadise/mainpage.html
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