She's the Man
Directed by Andy Fickman
By Travis Mackenzie HooverAs teen pics go, this could have been a lot worse; it's a borderline raunchy Twelfth Night redux that moves quickly as it goes nowhere. Amanda Bynes stars as a high-school soccer player whose team is unceremoniously cut; left with no showcase for her college-worthy moves, she dons a wig, binds her breasts and passes herself off as her prep-school brother.
Of course, the move becomes highly problematic: her new roommate (Channing Tatum) proves irresistible, but has the hots for another girl, who in turn falls for our heroine, who lastly is shouted at by her coach (Vinnie Jones). Titles of Avril Lavigne songs suggest themselves, but never mind — the film is absolutely not as bad for non-teens as it easily could have been.
Though Bynes's chirpy guy act wears on you after a while, director Andy Fickman keeps you from getting bored without hammering your head with too many cuts. Better, the film pushes the PG-13 rating as far as it can go, with much risqué material and profanities cut off just before the MPAA hammer can fall. And the cast, though conventionally pretty, is fairly animated for one of these teen romps — even the slumming David Cross and Julie Hagerty manage to not embarrass themselves as hopelessly un-cool adults.
Lord knows it's not a real movie, and I suspect I'm reviewing it for the entirely wrong demographic. But look: if you find yourself in extraordinary circumstances and you have to accompany some restless tween to a film not of your choice, let it be known that if the roll of the dice goes to this movie you will make it out with your senses intact. (Dreamworks)Be the first to comment
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