Gender Confused Norms

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 2014)

Based on a modern version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Director Andy Fickman deserves a job well done for She's The Man. Written as a romantic comedy, the main character Viola masquerades as a man, getting herself in some sticky situations that are amusingly comical. Between the actuality of Viola posing as a man and obliviousness of so many of the characters within the movie, one cannot help but find her antics comical. The whole premise of She's The Man is based on Viola (Amanda Bynes) taking her twin brother's place at boarding school in order to get on the guys' soccer team at Illyria since her school would not let her try out. The absurdity of Amanda Bynes acting, or attempting to act like a guy, with the ridiculous getup to look like a guy appeals to the audience in an entertaining manner. Between the fake sideburns, the clothing, and the impersonations, Viola has her work cut out for her, and yet she succeeds in making the audience laugh time and time again. This movie is humorous for people of all ages, especially since the questionable, at times terrible, acting accentuates the written hilarity and brings out the fundamental themes in the movie. The underlying themes in She's The Man concern gender norms in the United States today and how ridiculous they are. This film forces people to question the legitimacy of these gender norms.
She's The Man completely devastated some gender norms (Hiott-Millis), all thanks to Amanda Bynes' humorous spin on the script. For instance, when Viola is attempting to satirize the "macho slang" that men use nowadays such as "Word g-money" and "Bro? Brothers? Brethren?" (She's The Man), accompanied by the facial expressions seen on Bynes' face, the audience cannot help but laugh at the hilarity of the situation. Then there are the times when Viola's personality definitely shows through her "Sebastian" façade. Whenever "Sebastian" and Duke are alone, it becomes painfully obvious that Viola is just under the surface. Bynes shows Viola perfectly using her quite noticeable facial and verbal expressions. Usually she is drooling over or blatantly ogling Duke, but once she slips up and tells Duke, "You're hot!" (She's The Man). In this scene, the movie contradicts the gender norm that women do not objectify men like men tend to objectify women. In reality, women frequently treat men like pieces of meat. The added humor of Viola winning the soccer game completes the story and gives rise to the predictable, somewhat cliché theme of the good guys winning in the end. Being that Viola is a girl though, it breaks tradition by having her be the heroine.
Though She's The Man is meant to be a lighthearted and comedic movie, underlying currents can be found within almost every scene. Every female who watches this movie that will agree that Bynes portrays the image every woman (though it is sometimes exaggerated) would like to have, yet society dictates the proper behavior for women. The most accurate quote of this movie is when Viola, still dressed as Sebastian, claims "Heels are a male invention designed to make a woman's butt look smaller. And to make it harder for them to run away" (She's The Man). A common belief is that beauty does not come without pain, but who dictates the standard of beauty? Bynes forces the audience to consider who created the gender norms nowadays. Another example, though this one is over-exaggerated to the extreme, is when Viola is at a débutante luncheon and eats like a man. While this has to do with the environment she has been exposed to during the last couple weeks of her life, she is "pointing out the complete nonsense of 'ladylike' manners" (Hiott-Millis). Granted, no one would not want to see food falling out of someone's mouth, but that goes for both genders. Even though all of the humor will not be understood by younger kids and teenagers, adults who watch the movie will understand the innuendos about gender norms and chuckle at the reality that these situations are not all that uncommon.
In the end, the comedic aspects added by Bynes enhances the audience's awareness of the gender norms found currently in the United States. Not many actresses could have pulled off the Viola/Sebastian role while exposing the ridiculousness of gender norms like Bynes did. The plot line flowed nearly seamlessly, so the audience cannot help but feel included in the drama surrounding Viola's unfortunate, yet comical, circumstances. In general, for the teen target audience, this movie exceeds expectations in both the humor and underlying content. It is a family oriented comedy that will be watched and appreciated for years to come.