She's the Man is a must watch for all

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2017)

In the world today, women in the athletic profession are still fighting for equality. An example is US National Women's Soccer team. Even though they are winning more games than the US Men's team, they receive pay significantly below the men's salary. A stereotype that has been around for generations is that boys are better than girls, especially in sports. But, there is an eye-opening movie that tries to level the playing field for men and women, which is called, "She's the Man". It is sport and romance film produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Ewan Leslie that conveys a need for equality. The main character, Viola Hastings, played by Amanda Bynes, uses her funny, but determined personality, to prove that she plays well enough to compete on the boy's soccer team. "She's the Man" is a must-watch for everyone all ages because not only does it relate to the topic of gender equality and empowers women, but also has a comedic twist that entertains a large audience.
"She's the Man" can empower everyone, not only women, because of the upbeat music and driven character, Viola. The beginning of the movie starts off with an energetic song and colorful graphics that are integrated into a beach soccer scene; it will catch the audience's attention. The song played during the beach scene is "No Sleep Tonight," by the Faders, a rock band consisting of three women. Their powerful voices emphasize the lyrics, "I can't stop this feeling," while Viola is slide tackling and kicking the ball. Another example that can empower women is during the carnival scene, Justin, her ex boyfriend, told her to "be a girl for five seconds," when she was only focused on her soccer situation and not their relationship. Instead of being submissive, she insists that it's not a "stupid soccer issue", and calls him a "jerk" right before she slaps him in the face. Her actions encourage women to stand up for themselves and their opinions.
A main theme of "She's the Man" is gender quality. After the opening scene, Viola and her teammates find out that the girls soccer team is cut at Cornwall. Angry, they decide to try-out for the boys soccer team. But, the ignorant head coach of the boy's soccer team and close-minded male players, including Viola's boyfriend—ex boyfriend— don't think that the women can compare or play alongside them. When the girls said that they wanted to tryout for his team, the coach said, "Girls aren't as fast as boys. It's not me talking, it's a scientific fact. Girls can't beat boys. It's as simple as that." But, instead of keeping her down, this remark sparks a fire in Viola that pushes her to impersonate her brother, Sebastian, and try out for Illyria's boys soccer team. Her determination shows that she wants to be treated as an equal. The creators of the movie cleverly portrayed inequality again when they compared Viola and her brother. When she asked him, "Do you know the percentage of bands that actually make it to the big time?", he replied with, "Probably the same as female soccer players", which puts being a female athlete into perspective. In the end, the Illyria coach saw her potential and dedication and decided to move her from second to first string. It was inspiring to watch the coach judge her based on skill level, not because of her gender. Even after he found out she was a girl, he still let her play because unlike Cornwall, he doesn't "discriminate based on gender".
Another example of inequality is shown in her dream, she is wearing a big fluffy pink dress, while everyone else on the field is wearing normal soccer clothes. In a way, the clothing symbolizes that girls are viewed as princesses or aren't able to play a sport. The underlying meaning shows inequality in the treatment of female athletes. A positive about the dream is that the coach from Illyria is yelling at her to be on the field and has the same expectation of her in a pink dress as he does for the boys in soccer gear.
A comedic twist that the producers put in the movie was a scene where they are playing Rondo, a game where they have to keep the ball away from one person in the middle, and Viola, who is pretending to be Sebastian, gets "hit in the balls", and she dramatically pretended that it hurt. All throughout the movie, Amanda Bynes's goofy facial expressions kept me laughing and on the edge of my seat. Another comedic moment in the movie was when she told the coach that she couldn't be a "skin" because she was "allergic to the sun". Her quirky comments and awkward personality kept the movie upbeat while simultaneously breaking the gender normal.
In the final game against Illyria, Viola proves that she is good enough to play with the boys team by helping them win by scoring the winning goal of the game. Watching this movie can inspire girls over the nation to realize that they can do anything they set their mind to, even if it is supposed to be a "boy thing". She proves that she can compete against boys through her hard work and dedication toward extra hours of practice, even if it meant dressing up as a man. If that was the only way that she could have been treated with severity, we clearly need to reevaluate society.