Solid, yet lacking that "Mean Girls" pizazz

Rating: 7/10 (11 April 2006)

an enjoyable film. the demographic this movie is aimed at is quite clear from the beginning: preteen and teenage girls will enjoy the humour and shirtlessness of several male characters. still, though "she's the man" delivered solid laughs and engaging characters throughout (across a varied audience in my viewing at least), i was left with a lingering sense that we could have had it so much better - particularly (call me crazy) if someone like tina fey, screenwriter of the wonderful "mean girls", had been at the helm. other comments have cited the basic unbelievability of the premise - but that misses the point: the movie aims to provide solid entertainment, not an intellectual workout or a serious interpretation of Shakespeare (that much is clear from the opening credits), and the script is not as quotable or original as "mean girls" (my benchmark for teen movies). in most of the reviews i've read, much is made of amanda bynes' and David cross' contributions - personally, i felt that bynes should not have had to resort to face-pulling to substitute for some uninspired moments in the script, and that cross' Principal seemed a carbon-copy of his tobias in "arrested development", except tobias is funnier. i found channing tatum, in the role of duke orsino, endearing and convincing as the handsome lad who just can't master speech (obviously not that much of a stretch - he is a former male model). in conclusion: satisfying, easy-on-the-eyes comedy - fluffy fun, perfect date movie or let's-just-get-a-video fare.