Do we really need yet another teen romantic comedy/drama about the perils of falling in love in this crazy modern world? Of the countless films that have been made on this theme since Hollywood realised that teenagers have a disposable income to burn, Boys And Girls has to be among the least memorable and most formulaic.
We have here a boy (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and a girl (Claire Forlani) who are complete opposites. This is a point that the movie tries hard to make us aware of at every possible opportunity. He is the reserved, anal retentive sort that has his whole life planned down to the second, while she possesses a free-wheeling spirit and a monster fear of anything resembling commitment. The film shows a few random bickering meetings of the two as teenagers before they meet again in college, become the best of friends, and ponder the existence of romantic feelings towards each other. Jason Biggs is thrown into the mix occasionally for non sequitor comic relief as a compulsive liar trying to meet girls and failing.
The movie is exclusively concerned with looking at the world of dating and relationships, but it has absolutely nothing new or interesting to say about it. The characters aren't particularly engaging or subtle, and neither are the actors. The filmmaking has a couple of half-hearted attempts at a stylised departure from straight narrative storytelling near the beginning, but quickly abandons even that feeble effort for the generic formula. The dialogue is cliched and obvious, and even the music is cheesy. The only amazing thing about Boys And Girls is how utterly unremarkable and infinitely forgettable it is.
We have here a boy (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and a girl (Claire Forlani) who are complete opposites. This is a point that the movie tries hard to make us aware of at every possible opportunity. He is the reserved, anal retentive sort that has his whole life planned down to the second, while she possesses a free-wheeling spirit and a monster fear of anything resembling commitment. The film shows a few random bickering meetings of the two as teenagers before they meet again in college, become the best of friends, and ponder the existence of romantic feelings towards each other. Jason Biggs is thrown into the mix occasionally for non sequitor comic relief as a compulsive liar trying to meet girls and failing.
The movie is exclusively concerned with looking at the world of dating and relationships, but it has absolutely nothing new or interesting to say about it. The characters aren't particularly engaging or subtle, and neither are the actors. The filmmaking has a couple of half-hearted attempts at a stylised departure from straight narrative storytelling near the beginning, but quickly abandons even that feeble effort for the generic formula. The dialogue is cliched and obvious, and even the music is cheesy. The only amazing thing about Boys And Girls is how utterly unremarkable and infinitely forgettable it is.
