More Like "Tootsie," Less Like Shakespeare

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2006)

"She's the Man" is decent for a teenage comedy, but it has very little to do with Shakespeare. The only thing it has in common with "Twelfth Night" is the names of the characters.
Amanda Bynes plays the cross-dresser of the title in a twitchy manner, similar to Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie." In many ways, "She's the Man" is like "Tootsie" for young girls. Lots of the professional reviewers seemed oblivious to the fact that the main joke of the movie is that Viola never really looks or sounds like a man, but she is able to fool everyone in the movie anyway. While the movie is not rolling-in-the-aisles funny, it has a fair share of chuckles and is perfectly unoffensive.
"She's the Man" has no originality and is perfectly predicable, but if you are looking for some light entertainment, it is probably the best thing in the theaters right now.