SHE’S ALL THAT (1999)

SHE’S ALL THAT (1999)

Tagline: These two opposites attract... but everyone’s trying to keep them apart!

(Comedy, Romance, Banned From Sea World For Life) [PG-13]

This is all very fascinating Taylor, but could you maybe get to the part where you decided to screw me over?

This is the story of a girl named Laney Boggs who is an artistic nerdy type who becomes the focus of Zack Siler who made a bet with Dean Sampson that he could turn her into the prom queen in 6 weeks. Laney is not having it and turns Zack off right away, but over time he wins her over. What he didn’t expect, is that she’s all that. 

This thing came out when I had just turned 26. The same age as Paul Walker who plays Dean in this, and a year younger than Gabrielle Union who plays Katie. Having said that I was 8 years removed from high school, but I actually thought this was one of the better “teen romance” movies of its time. The story itself isn’t all that new (it’s actually an adaptation of the stage play Pygmalion), but the execution and acting are decent and the soundtrack is 90s iconic. In 2013 M. Night Shyamalan claimed to have ghostwritten the script, but I don’t see any of his trademark awkwardness when it comes to scripts in this thing. It does have some tacky lines, but nothing as deadpan and out of the blue that screams Shyamalan.

There is a lot to like about this movie and to an extent, I could identify with Jesse who plays Laney’s friend. I was kind of the background character in high school but didn’t sit around feeling sorry for myself either. Laney actually reminded me of a couple of different friends I had and the movie's message is actually pretty spot-on in some areas. Others seem a bit more off to me, but I am sure there is some of that was part of the actual experiences of other people. 

Acting wise this movie is loaded with big stars. The movie's main draw at the time was probably Freddie Prinze Jr. who plays Zack and was coming off some big success in the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER films. He is even at least rumored to be involved in the movie reboot of that series. He is good in this, but it’s not his best role. Matthew Lillard who is basically “Shaggy” now from SCOOBY-DOO! plays Brock Hudson and is very successful these days was decent in this, but I like when he’s doing humorous roles better. Back then he was most famous for SCREAM. Rachael Leigh Cook is solid as Laney. Her biggest movie was probably 2001’s JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS but she is still acting to this day. Paul Walker appears as Dean and does a great job of playing a jerk. Walker was best known for the FAST AND THE FURIOUS series, but sadly passed away in 2013. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is basically the movie's mean girl and essentially plays the exact same character she did in WHATEVER IT TAKES filmed the following year. Jodi is good in this, but not great. She has also been in a lot of movies and TV, but this thing was probably what she is most known for. Anna Paquin has a decent early role for her as Mackenzie. She had been in a few big movies at this point but didn’t explode on the acting scene until the following year when she landed the role of Rogue in X-MEN. We also get Gabrielle Union who plays Katie as I mentioned earlier. She is decent in this but gets minimal screen time. Gabrielle is probably best known for 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. The rest of the cast is also solid, but watching this is kind of like watching a ’90s version of Hollywood Squares. We even get brief appearances by  Sarah Michelle Gellar and Usher. 

There are some pacing issues but it’s nothing way out of whack. If anything the weirdest part of this movie is the prom dance number. I have never heard of a prom where the DJ claims to have taught everyone there a giant choreographed dance routine or a school where there are freestyle rappers outside the school raping about who to pick for prom queen. It’s all pretty tacky but it’s also part of the charm of this thing. I think overall the critics were a bit too rough on this one and like several other teen high school romance comedies it holds up well. It also has a lot of great lines.

Tip: Kiss Me is far from the best “Sixpence None The Richer” song. If you want that “Angeltread” is far better. 

Overall I have to give this one a 5 out of 7, it’s a fun watch without all the raunchy crap. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF MIRAMAX AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.