A fine effort

Rating: 7/10 (15 March 2006)

Just returned from a screening of She's the man. It's not a cinematic masterpiece. There is no nudity whatsoever. No swearing whatsoever. But still a solid production with strong comic performances from the leads, especially Bynes. The writers are Karen Lutz and Kristen Smith who also wrote "Legally Blonde" and "10 things I hate about you" Expect the same theatrical set up/punchline/soundtrack dominated flick with more "Series of Shots" plot development montages than most people care to see. The dozens of 16 year old girls at the screening ("I told you at lunch that I was gonna sit with Amanda. Cause remember during study hall when that cute Senior was walking by and Amanda asked me first if I would sit with her? Remember?) all loved this movie. I have watched Legally Blonde numerous times on cross country flights and it never fails to disappoint me. Mainly because Reese Witherspoon is despicable and one dimensional. She is easy to hate. Amanda Bynes is a piece of work. Impossible to dislike. She reminds me of Lucile Ball and Ellen Degeneres with a natural sense of timing and uninhibited range of expression. Bynes is adorable. These types of comedies live or die on how memorable the cast is. If the performances are wooden such as in 10 Things I Hate About You, the film fades into dust. She's the Man is a fine effort. I found myself laughing at regular intervals. That wasn't true with Mean Girls because the performances in Mean Girls were not convincing. They seemed too rehearsed. The cast of She's the Man is theatrical to a fault, but the situation demands it. Their performances come across as improvised and authentic. They are going for laughs and mostly get them. I can't see how anyone under 20 would not like this movie. Anyone over 20 should see it if they like teen comedies with clever situations.