She’s All That is a
movie that I’ve been reluctant to write about, because I have covered the teen
genre several other times. What else is there really to say? However, She’s
All That is a movie I MUST write about for it almost epitomizes everything
I love (and loathe) about the genre; it is the quintessential teen comedy. It
was also one of the most profitable teen movies, domestically grossing $63
million on a $10 million budget. She’s All That came out during my
Freshmen year at UW-Milwaukee, and after having seen the trailer, I remember
thinking, “Wow! This movie looks f---in’ AWFUL!” Yet, when it came out to rent on video, I
decided to watch it, rationalizing that it might be unintentionally hilarious,
but to my complete shock, I actually enjoyed the movie. Granted, I went in with extremely low
expectations, so the mere fact that it wasn’t the worst thing ever was
genuinely surprising.
The basic plot to She’s
All That is that after his girlfriend has dumped him for an obnoxious
reality star, Brock Hudson, she met on spring break, Zack Stiler (the big man
on campus) claims that she is expendable and that any girl could take her
place. His friend, Dean, disagrees and challenges Zack to a bet on whether he
can transform any random girl into the Prom Queen. After scanning over a few candidates, Dean
chooses Laney Boggs; supposedly, the most unpopular girl
in school. Why? Because she wears glasses, overalls, and loves art! Zack is naturally horrified at this
selection, but a bet is a bet, and he presses on. This is the most ridiculous moment in She’s All That, because Rachael Leigh
Cook, even with glasses and overalls, is still a very attractive women; the filmmakers put almost no effort in
deglamorizing her, probably out of fear that if they made her too nerdy audiences would bolt for the exits.
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| GASP! THE UNSPEAKABLE HORROR! |
Couldn't they have at least give her acne? Or put
duct tape on her glasses? ANYTHING! Laney Bogg is the hottest nerd in cinema
history! Granted, the teen genre is saturated with gorgeous “unattractive”
women, but in the case of She’s All That it
is extremely ludicrous. This scene is mercilessly
mocked in Not Another Teen Movie
(another guilty pleasure), where the
very sight of Janey (the Laney surrogate), in her overalls and glasses, makes
Jake and friends sick to their stomachs.
Laney, at first, views Zack with utter
contempt, but he eventually wins her over and, much to the surprise of no one in the audience, the two of them fall in love. Will true
love conquer all? Will Dean, in an act of jealously, try to sabotage the
budding romance between Laney and Zack? Will Zack’s ex, Taylor, try to get back
together with him after Brock proves to be a cad? Will all these story threads
be resolved at the school dance? The answer to all these questions is an unequivocal
………YES!!!
It is surprising that I like She’s All That, given all of its flaws. The direction of the movie is on the level of a television sitcom. This isn't too surprising given that the director,
Robert Iscove, began his career directing TV sitcoms, and would later
helm the infamous box office bomb, From
Justin To Kelly. There are a few clever directorial flashes scattered throughout the film, like Zack having a nightmare that he's on The Real World with Brock, while Laney and Taylor start talking trash about him. The most eye popping moment occurs when Taylor tells Zack about how she met Brock during spring break; the two of them are sitting on a bench outside of the high school. The film then cuts to a close up of Taylor as begins the story, then the camera pans over to reveal an outdoor pool and bunch of spring breakers partying. It's a nice transition from the present to the past without resorting to usual cinematic trickery of dissolves or wavy effects. Sadly, these moments prove to be the exception rather than rule.
The script itself is an updated version of the George Bernard Shaw classic Pygmalion. Of course, She’s All That was not the only comedy to transpose a classic story into a high school setting, this was fairly common trend in the teen genre; Clueless was an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, 1O Things I Hate About You was a thinly disguised The Taming of the Shrew, and She’s The Man gave Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night an unnecessary face lift. She’s All That also steals heavily from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink; the leads, like in that film, come from the opposite sides of the tracks. Zack belongs to the upper crust of society, his father is a doctor, while Laney‘s father is a pool cleaner and the family struggles to get by. The script was written by R. Lee Fleming, Jr., who would later pen the screenplay to Get Over It, which features the novel twist of having the protagonist’s girlfriend dump him for………an obnoxious member of the boy band, The Swingtown Lads. Where do you get these brilliant ideas, Fleming? It should also be noted that Get Over It is centered around a high school musical production of the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. WHOA! Fleming covered all the bases in the film. There is, however, an especially funny scene where Zack agrees to meet Laney at an art center and finds himself having to endure a piece of performance art that consists of two midgets in leotards and a guy in a speedo uttering all sorts of nonsense, while Electronica music plays in the background. The look of shock on Zack's face is absolute priceless.
The script itself is an updated version of the George Bernard Shaw classic Pygmalion. Of course, She’s All That was not the only comedy to transpose a classic story into a high school setting, this was fairly common trend in the teen genre; Clueless was an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, 1O Things I Hate About You was a thinly disguised The Taming of the Shrew, and She’s The Man gave Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night an unnecessary face lift. She’s All That also steals heavily from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink; the leads, like in that film, come from the opposite sides of the tracks. Zack belongs to the upper crust of society, his father is a doctor, while Laney‘s father is a pool cleaner and the family struggles to get by. The script was written by R. Lee Fleming, Jr., who would later pen the screenplay to Get Over It, which features the novel twist of having the protagonist’s girlfriend dump him for………an obnoxious member of the boy band, The Swingtown Lads. Where do you get these brilliant ideas, Fleming? It should also be noted that Get Over It is centered around a high school musical production of the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. WHOA! Fleming covered all the bases in the film. There is, however, an especially funny scene where Zack agrees to meet Laney at an art center and finds himself having to endure a piece of performance art that consists of two midgets in leotards and a guy in a speedo uttering all sorts of nonsense, while Electronica music plays in the background. The look of shock on Zack's face is absolute priceless.
While Fleming’s script to She’s
All That is strictly by the numbers,it does gets a lot of mileage out of its
overqualified cast. The name Freddie
Prinze, Jr. often elicits derision when brought up in a conversation, but he is immensely charming in the role of Zack Siler. Zack, as played by Prinze, is a guy that has
made a living coasting on his charismatic personality to the point that he believes
his own hype; he is simply incapable of doing any wrong. His ego takes a hit when his girlfriend
unceremoniously dumps him and, to add insult to injury, he is initially rebuked
by Laney. He has surrounded himself with
enablers and suck ups that Laney turns out to be a breath of fresh air; she has
no preconceived notions of him, and, as a result, this allows Zack to be his
genuine self when he is around her. If
there is a flaw in Prinze’s performance, it is that someone as intelligent as
Zack would never allow himself to be suckered into accepting Dean’s bet. Zack
is a rather considerate guy, despite being a
popular jock, that it seems rather uncharacteristic of him to use someone just
so to prove a point. Then again, even the most intelligent person is often reduced
to an irrational state after a painful break up. It is a shame that after this movie came out,
Freddie Prinze, Jr. seemed fairly
content on playing the same type of role over and over again to the point that it
devolved into self parody; the nadir of his career being the dreadful
suspense-comedy Head Over Heels.
Rachael Leigh Cook gives it her all despite all the
contrivances the script constantly throws her way. It is revealed
that Laney had a tough childhood (her mother died when he was young) and she wears a masks of
complete indifference, never allowing anyone to get close, out of fear that
they will eventually hurt her. Keith Phipps, in his review for The
Onion, described Cook as being “unappealing”
in this film, but I think that can largely be blamed on Fleming's writing - Laney is very high strung and devoid of any humor. When Zack comments on how beautiful the ocean looks, Laney rants about how polluted it is. However, in fairness to Fleming, this is a crucial part of her character arc, Laney starts off as being a very aloof and sheltered individual, but through Zack's influence begins to open up and develop a sense of humor; it's fitting that the final shot of the movie is a close up of her laughing. Cook gives a believable performance and manages to breathe life into a pretty underwritten character. The main flaw in the writing is that Laney
shows almost no awkwardness in her transition from being a socially inept nerd to the new campus hottie. It also
complete betrays the character by having her go the prom with a complete tool
like Dean (whom she doesn't like), but agrees to anyways, solely because the
script demands it. How else can Zack
fully express his love for Laney and Dean get his just comeuppance?
Naturally, the movie has to find a way to separate the lovers before they can be lovingly reunited at the movie's end. In this case, Dean tells Laney about the bet and Zack confirms it. This pisses her off and she storms out of the room. Zack makes multiple attempts at calling her, but she refuses to take any of his phone calls. This portion of the movie irritates the living hell out of me! It's a problem that could easily be resolved in minutes if Laney would just allow Zack explain. Unfortunately, it is drawn out to the point of tedium. The audience knows Laney and Zack are going to end up together, but the movie still has a half hour to go, so they must delay the inevitable some how. "Hey, let's have Laney go to the dance with Dean!" Again, it should be noted that Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook do an admirable job with the material they have been given.
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| Is this the same girl? It can't be! SHE'S HOT!!!! |
Naturally, the movie has to find a way to separate the lovers before they can be lovingly reunited at the movie's end. In this case, Dean tells Laney about the bet and Zack confirms it. This pisses her off and she storms out of the room. Zack makes multiple attempts at calling her, but she refuses to take any of his phone calls. This portion of the movie irritates the living hell out of me! It's a problem that could easily be resolved in minutes if Laney would just allow Zack explain. Unfortunately, it is drawn out to the point of tedium. The audience knows Laney and Zack are going to end up together, but the movie still has a half hour to go, so they must delay the inevitable some how. "Hey, let's have Laney go to the dance with Dean!" Again, it should be noted that Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook do an admirable job with the material they have been given.
The late Paul Walker was a fairly limited actor, but he’s
perfectly cast as the douche bag Dean. Dean is such a phony that Walker’s bland
performance is actually beneficial to the film; the audience is supposed to
hate Dean. A more accomplished actor might have given a more nuanced
performance, but Walker is incapable of such depth, hence we despise Dean from
the very get go. He is a guy that we love to hate. Ditto for Jodi Lyn O' Keefe as Zack's bitchy ex, Taylor Vaughan.
She's All That is loaded with talent in the supporting cast, many of whom went on to bigger and better things:
Matthew Lillard is funny as the narcissistic reality star, Brock Hudson. Lillard is one of those actors that you will find either hilarious or absolutely insufferable; I belong to the former camp myself. He is always amusing, whether it's watching reruns of himself on television on commenting, or doing a spastic dance at a party. Despite his prominent billing in the credits, Lillard has very little screen time, but he is fairly energetic and livens up the scenes he is in.
Elden Henson as Laney's nerdy best, Jesse, is fun too watch as well. In a nice turn, Jesse instantly takes a liking to Zack and even encourages Laney to go on a date him. In most teen comedies, the nerdy best friend is secretly in love with the leading lady and is usually resentful of anyone that he deems a threat. Hell, Stephen King even used this trope in his novel (and teleplay) The Stand. In She's All That, Jesse and Laney are just friends and he only wants to see her happy. He even manages to hook up with Zack's sister, Mackenzie (Anna Paquin), at the end. Not bad at all!
Then again, Jesse is also responsible for one of most infuriating moments in the film - while in the rest room, he over hears Dean boasting to his pals about how he is going to rob Laney of her virginity; he has paid $300 for a motel room. After hearing this, Jesse tells Mackenzie and then they proceed to tell Zack. My question is - WHY DOESN'T HE TELL LANEY? Given the fact that they have been best friends their entire lives, it would be logical to assume that Laney would believe Jesse. There simply no reason for her to doubt him! Jesse interrupts Zack while he's in the middle of giving his prom king acceptance speech and it takes him at least a minute to get Zack's attention! Damn you R. Lee Fleming Jr. and your terrible screen writing!
Dulé Hill is likable as Preston. He is the voice of reason in Zack's group of friends; when Dean and Zack make the bet, he is the one that is questioning the whole thing. He is nice to Laney and invites her to play a game of volleyball, and is openly disgusted when Dean does his premature boasting in the rest room. In fact, Preston straight out tells Dean that Laney would never sleep with a guy like him.
Gabrielle Union has a couple of nice moments as Katie, Taylor's friend and Prestons' girlfriend. Katie is interesting, because despite being of Taylor's best friends, she takes an instant liking to Laney. She is especially impressed at how Laney, a wallflower, is able to handle herself among the popular crowd. When Laney accepts Preston's invitation to play volleyball, Katie moved by the gesture also agrees to join in. It is also Katie that nominates Laney for Prom Queen. It's nice departure from the usual popular girl stereotype found in teen comedies - vapid, selfish, and extremely bitchy. Granted, Taylor does a nice job living up to those on her very own.
Anna Paquin as Mackenizie. I almost think Paquin would have been a better choice for the role of Laney, because of her unconventionally pretty look. She certainly would have been more believable in the earlier scenes, when Laney is a full fledged nerd. As it is, Paquin is given the thankless role of Zack's sympathetic sister, Mackenzie. She is a likable enough, but it's obvious the reason she was cast was to bring an air of respectability to the movie; she is an Oscar winner, after all.
Clea Duvall is an actress that constantly pops up in movies; you may not know her name, but you definitely recognize her face. She is all too convincing as Laney's arty, morbid classmate Misty. She even suggest that Laney should think about committing suicide, because most artists were not appreciated until after they had died. Misty gets her just comeuppance when Laney stumbles upon her throwing up in the toilet at a party. Laney initially looks after her, but Misty makes an extremely bitchy comment before passing out on the floor. Laney then takes the opportunity to make her face up like that of a clown.
Kevin Pollak is funny and genuinely moving as Laney sometimes oblivious, but always compassionate father. He is always a joy to watch, whether it's guessing at the answers on Jeopardy and always getting them wrong, or giving his daughter a heart to heart talk. It's a nice role for Pollak and he manages to bring some levity to the proceedings when the film most desperately needs it.
She's All That isn't world shattering cinema, but it is an entertaining movie. It doesn't have any high aspirations, it just merely wants to entertain a teenage audience for ninety minute and does so rather admirably. Hell, it certainly says a lot about the movie that I can still enjoy it in my thirties; that's usually not the case when it comes to these types of films. While it may not be the most original teen comedy, it's probably one of the better ones to come out of the 90s, thanks to its likable and talented cast. It's also features of one of the most catchy songs of all time, "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer.
She's All That is loaded with talent in the supporting cast, many of whom went on to bigger and better things:
Matthew Lillard is funny as the narcissistic reality star, Brock Hudson. Lillard is one of those actors that you will find either hilarious or absolutely insufferable; I belong to the former camp myself. He is always amusing, whether it's watching reruns of himself on television on commenting, or doing a spastic dance at a party. Despite his prominent billing in the credits, Lillard has very little screen time, but he is fairly energetic and livens up the scenes he is in.
Elden Henson as Laney's nerdy best, Jesse, is fun too watch as well. In a nice turn, Jesse instantly takes a liking to Zack and even encourages Laney to go on a date him. In most teen comedies, the nerdy best friend is secretly in love with the leading lady and is usually resentful of anyone that he deems a threat. Hell, Stephen King even used this trope in his novel (and teleplay) The Stand. In She's All That, Jesse and Laney are just friends and he only wants to see her happy. He even manages to hook up with Zack's sister, Mackenzie (Anna Paquin), at the end. Not bad at all!
Then again, Jesse is also responsible for one of most infuriating moments in the film - while in the rest room, he over hears Dean boasting to his pals about how he is going to rob Laney of her virginity; he has paid $300 for a motel room. After hearing this, Jesse tells Mackenzie and then they proceed to tell Zack. My question is - WHY DOESN'T HE TELL LANEY? Given the fact that they have been best friends their entire lives, it would be logical to assume that Laney would believe Jesse. There simply no reason for her to doubt him! Jesse interrupts Zack while he's in the middle of giving his prom king acceptance speech and it takes him at least a minute to get Zack's attention! Damn you R. Lee Fleming Jr. and your terrible screen writing!
Dulé Hill is likable as Preston. He is the voice of reason in Zack's group of friends; when Dean and Zack make the bet, he is the one that is questioning the whole thing. He is nice to Laney and invites her to play a game of volleyball, and is openly disgusted when Dean does his premature boasting in the rest room. In fact, Preston straight out tells Dean that Laney would never sleep with a guy like him.
Gabrielle Union has a couple of nice moments as Katie, Taylor's friend and Prestons' girlfriend. Katie is interesting, because despite being of Taylor's best friends, she takes an instant liking to Laney. She is especially impressed at how Laney, a wallflower, is able to handle herself among the popular crowd. When Laney accepts Preston's invitation to play volleyball, Katie moved by the gesture also agrees to join in. It is also Katie that nominates Laney for Prom Queen. It's nice departure from the usual popular girl stereotype found in teen comedies - vapid, selfish, and extremely bitchy. Granted, Taylor does a nice job living up to those on her very own.
Anna Paquin as Mackenizie. I almost think Paquin would have been a better choice for the role of Laney, because of her unconventionally pretty look. She certainly would have been more believable in the earlier scenes, when Laney is a full fledged nerd. As it is, Paquin is given the thankless role of Zack's sympathetic sister, Mackenzie. She is a likable enough, but it's obvious the reason she was cast was to bring an air of respectability to the movie; she is an Oscar winner, after all.
Clea Duvall is an actress that constantly pops up in movies; you may not know her name, but you definitely recognize her face. She is all too convincing as Laney's arty, morbid classmate Misty. She even suggest that Laney should think about committing suicide, because most artists were not appreciated until after they had died. Misty gets her just comeuppance when Laney stumbles upon her throwing up in the toilet at a party. Laney initially looks after her, but Misty makes an extremely bitchy comment before passing out on the floor. Laney then takes the opportunity to make her face up like that of a clown.
Kevin Pollak is funny and genuinely moving as Laney sometimes oblivious, but always compassionate father. He is always a joy to watch, whether it's guessing at the answers on Jeopardy and always getting them wrong, or giving his daughter a heart to heart talk. It's a nice role for Pollak and he manages to bring some levity to the proceedings when the film most desperately needs it.
She's All That isn't world shattering cinema, but it is an entertaining movie. It doesn't have any high aspirations, it just merely wants to entertain a teenage audience for ninety minute and does so rather admirably. Hell, it certainly says a lot about the movie that I can still enjoy it in my thirties; that's usually not the case when it comes to these types of films. While it may not be the most original teen comedy, it's probably one of the better ones to come out of the 90s, thanks to its likable and talented cast. It's also features of one of the most catchy songs of all time, "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer.
Credits
Cast: Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Zack Siler), Rachael Leigh Cook (Laney Boggs), Matthew Lillard (Brock Hudson), Paul Walker (Dean Sampson), Jodi Lyn O’ Keefe (Taylor Vaughan), Anna Paquin (Mackenzie Siler), Kevin Pollak (Wayne Boggs), Elden Henson (Jesse Jackson), Kieran Culkin (Simon Boggs), Gabrielle Union (Katie), Dulé Hill (Preston), Clea Duvall (Misty), Tamara Mello (Chandler), Usher Raymond (Campus D.J.), Debbi Morgan (Ms. Rousseau), Tim Matheson (Harlan Siler) Lil’ Kim (Alex), Chris Owen (Derek Funkhouser Rutley), Alexis Arquette (Mitch), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Girl in Cafeteria).
Cast: Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Zack Siler), Rachael Leigh Cook (Laney Boggs), Matthew Lillard (Brock Hudson), Paul Walker (Dean Sampson), Jodi Lyn O’ Keefe (Taylor Vaughan), Anna Paquin (Mackenzie Siler), Kevin Pollak (Wayne Boggs), Elden Henson (Jesse Jackson), Kieran Culkin (Simon Boggs), Gabrielle Union (Katie), Dulé Hill (Preston), Clea Duvall (Misty), Tamara Mello (Chandler), Usher Raymond (Campus D.J.), Debbi Morgan (Ms. Rousseau), Tim Matheson (Harlan Siler) Lil’ Kim (Alex), Chris Owen (Derek Funkhouser Rutley), Alexis Arquette (Mitch), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Girl in Cafeteria).
Director: Robert Iscove
Screenplay: R. Lee Fleming, Jr.
Screenplay: R. Lee Fleming, Jr.
Running Time: 95 min.
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