She's All That

Plot synopsis:
Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) is the big man on campus at his Southern California high school. His popular but narcissistic girlfriend, Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), ditches him for a faded reality TV star from The Real World, Brock Hudson (Matthew Lillard), whom she met on spring break in Florida. Although bitter over the break-up, Zack consoles himself by claiming that Taylor is replaceable by any girl from the school. Zack's friend, Dean Sampson, Jr. (Paul Walker), disagrees and challenges him to a bet on whether Zack can turn any random girl into the Prom Queen within six weeks, a coveted position held by the most popular girl in school. Dean picks out Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook), a dorky, solitary, unpopular art student, as his choice for Zack.
Zack approaches and attempts to befriend Laney in the hope of subsequently transforming her into prom queen material. His first encounter with her is a complete failure, when she pointedly ignores his advance and walks away from him. With help from Laney's friend, Jesse Jackson (Elden Henson), Zack eventually is successful in getting Laney to take him to a theater lounge frequented by artists and performers. Intending to deter him, Laney arranges for Zack to be called onto the stage and perform to his surprise. Zack manages to improvise a show with the Hacky Sack he happens to carry in his pocket. Laney is impressed by the performance, but rejects him again after he attempts to charm her.
Zack befriends her brother, Simon (Kieran Culkin), and in an attempt to stop this, Laney agrees to go to the beach with him once. She starts to make friends in the popular crowd as they get a chance to know her. Zack then successfully persuades her to attend a party at Preston's (Dulé Hill) house the same night, and he employs his sister Mac (Anna Paquin) to give her a makeover, transforming her into a stunning beauty. Laney's attendance at Preston's party sparks jealousy in Taylor, who then humiliates Laney, but Laney is consoled by Zack, who has by now developed a true affection for her.
As a result of her new appearance and Zack's interest, Laney is nominated for Prom Queen and begins an uneasy battle with Taylor for the crown. Taylor faces humiliation of her own when Brock informs her their relationship is over, and that he only used her to increase his own popularity (which proves successful with the producers of MTV offering him his own show). In the meantime, Dean begins to show an interest in Laney as her popularity begins to soar and Zack's victory becomes more imminent. Dean tries to invite Laney as his prom partner in an attempt to ruin Zack's attempt to boost Laney's winning chance with his own popularity, but Laney refuses. After falling out with Zack, Dean deliberately tells Laney about the bet and she forces a confession from Zack in public. Feeling objectified and betrayed, Laney refuses to see Zack again.
Unable to reconcile with Laney, Zack ends up attending the prom with his sister, while Taylor arrives alone, thinking that Zack is still interested in her despite his refusal of her advances. A disheartened Laney reluctantly dresses up after some persuasion from her father Wayne (Kevin Pollak) and goes to the dance with Dean when he shows up at her house in a tuxedo to invite her again to be his prom date.
At the prom, after a dance scene presided over by the school's resident DJ (Usher Raymond), Mac meets Jesse and they become friends. Dean boasts to Preston and others in the bathroom that he is succeeding in seducing Laney and has rented a hotel room with intention of having sex with her. Jesse overhears this and warns Mac and Zack. Taylor is then crowned Prom Queen with just over half the votes; she begins a long berating speech which is interrupted by the microphone being turned off by a teacher. By now, the students have seen Taylor for who she is, thanks to Mac revealing her actions against Laney and her involvement with Dean to sabotage Zack. As a result, Taylor is further humiliated when she loses her popularity and her friends. Laney leaves the prom with Dean, while Zack attempts to intervene but loses track of them.
When Laney returns to her home, Zack is there waiting for her, along with her father and Simon who are waiting up for her. Laney explains how she fought off Dean's advances by deafening him with an air horn. Zack confesses his true feelings to Laney, and asks for forgiveness as well as the chance to further their relationship, which she grants. Laney tells Zack that she is considering art school after graduation, and Zack jokingly tells her that she has inspired him to pursue a career in performance art. After their first dance and kiss, Laney asks Zack about his bet with Dean (which is now lost), and Zack responds that he will gracefully honor the terms.
At the graduation ceremony, the terms of the bet are revealed, Zack must appear nude on stage because he lost. After his name is called, Zack heads to the stage wearing only a graduation cap and strategically carrying a soccer ball. In the final shot he is not visible, but we see Laney with the soccer ball being thrown to her and the rest of the students reacting to Zack no longer having it for cover.

Tags: cult, comedy, entertaining, romantic

Review:
Silly but fun teen romantic comedy about a high school jock (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) who bets his friend (Paul Walker) that he can turn a geek (Rachael Leigh Cook) into the prom queen.
I still like it, yes, but now that I have seen so many more movies there are a lot of predictable, therefore lesser, parts.For starters it is set on a high school but the characters seem to be in their mid-twenties.
Of course he really falls in love with her, of course the bet comes out, of course the girl is mad, of course the movie end on the prom, and of course it will be a happy ending.Yes, predictable it is, but also sweet, even with an actor like Prinze.
Cool dance scene though, and Freddie Prinze Jr. is bearable Rachel Leigh Cook is likable (I personally thought she was pretty good in it) and notably talented actors like Kevin Pollak, Kieran Culkin, and Anna Paquin give the movie some supporting foundation.
(As an aside, a few months ago I purchased the movie on Blu-ray DVD and I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie in its entirety for the first time in 12 years.)I personally feel that, unlike many of the teen comedies released on the tail end of the oh-so-cynical seen-it-all '90s, "She's All That" was one of the far better movies from that time.
In other words, She really is All That.At the beginning of the film, all-American jock - star soccer player - and class president and essentially nice good-guy Zack Siler (Prinze, Jr.) is publicly dumped by his shallow, self-absorbed girlfriend Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) for an annoying reality TV star from "The Real World" named Brock Hudson (Matthew Lillard, of "Scream").
Predictably, Zack starts to fall for Laney - especially after his younger sister Mackenzie (Anna Paquin) gives her an extreme makeover - and soon finds himself questioning his bet with Dean.As I stated earlier, there isn't a whole lot to the plot that hasn't been seen before in earlier, better teen pictures (like, say, for instance, 1987's "Can't Buy Me Love," which this film could be considered in some ways a modern update of).
Zak tries to get close with limited success but gradually he begins to get to know her and they become friends  now all he has to do is get her accepted by the jet set.How many teen movies do we need, with their similar themes of jocks and geeks and the seemingly revolving casts?
The other problem is the fact that Laney is actually quite good looking before `the change'  I prefer her look before Zak supposedly made her better.The film needs to pander to the teen audience so we get the obligatory `gross out' comedy in a few scenes which are funny but outside of that it's really very light melodrama between Zak, Laney and the jocks/cheerleaders.Prince is annoying but is actually alright here despite having a cardboard jock character.
I hate Matthew Lillard with a passion but here he does a good job sending up those reality TV `celebrities' and is very funny in his handful of scenes.Overall this is an acceptable teen film but really never gets to the point where you could call it more than good.
The story is comfortable predictable and all the performances (from Freddy Prinze to Rachel Leigh Cook and even Matthew Lillard - who's pretty hilarious) are great.
Slowly Zack starts to fall in love with her, while his best friend starts to be jealous and he will do anything to ruined the bet.Directed by Robert Iscove (Boys and Girls) made an enjoyable if predictable teen romantic comedy.
Zach Siler(Freddie Prinze Jr.) makes a bet that he can turn and unpopular girl Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) into prom queen after being dumped by his girlfriend Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe).
The story follows a smart, preppy, and popular teen (Freddie Prinze Jr.) called Zach who gets dumped by his girlfriend, but then takes a bet the to turn a outsider art girl (Rachel Leigh Cook has some great charm and sexuality) into prom queen.
Rachael Leigh Cook stars in this filled with clichés movie that may be better enjoyed by girls.
Don't get me wrong; I did watch it because I didn't have anything else to do and it aired on late cable and I ended up liking it for what it is: a typical teenager American flick with a message.There are many, many clichés like the nerdy girl who suddenly becomes very sexy and desirable and the jock who ends up falling in love with her.There are elements that make this a chick flick but on the other hand, there are some scenes that make it a clever teen comedy.I can recommend it for those who are still on their 20's and want to watch how young American society behaved in the late 90's.Leigh Cook shines in the lead role; she's perky, petit, sexy and fresh..
Why is America so shallow, put real ugly people in films what are they afraid off, here in the real world people like WATS name would be classed as very attractive, oh lets put some glasses on a stunning girl and call her ugly--then take the glasses off and oh look she's beautiful, the same can be said of ugly Betty, and the princess diary's, thats why i hate these silly films and the shallow message it sends out to the world, ugly ducklings should be ignored and pretty girls adored, OK i only watched about 25 Min's of this film because it became unbearable, if i turned my nose up at everyone who wore glasses and dowdy clothes i'dd be a very lonely young man, however i am not that fussy.Ugly betty---princess diary's-- shes all twaat, should be put in the ugly bin, put some REAL people in movies, fat people with spots and wort's make better actors anyway..
With: Freddie Prince Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Anna Paquin, Kieren Culkin, Kevin Pollak.This is a terrible acted, stupid movie with a horribly predictable plot.
Sure, we would like it if Mr. Stud could understand the value of the ugly duckling right from the beginning, but his transformation is as beautiful to watch as hers is fun.There are some particular aspects of this film that make this re-working of the story interesting.
While the story was typical, the two stars, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook made it watchable, and they both have very bright futures ahead of them.She's All That follows the same basic plot line we've all seen millions of times over.
Zach (Freddie Prinze Jr.) having just been dumped by his girlfriend for a Real World castaway (a very funny parody featuring Matthew Lillard), accepts the bet as a way of affirming his Big Man on Campus status.
So Zach and Laney start hanging out, having a good time, it looks like Zach will win the bet, but he's really falling for Laney, but then his friend spills the beans to her about the bet, and she gets upset, so Zach has to try and win her back, then everyone's all happy in the end.
I think from the time we all saw previews for this, we all knew how it was going to end.The reason this movie was as entertaining as it was, was due to both Prinze Jr. and Cook.
So, as I was saying earlier, the reason this movie was entertaining was because of Prinze Jr. and Cook being able to break out of their stereotypical roles and bring a real life likeable quality to the characters.
Nothing unexpected happens, and you all know what's going to happen right from the start, but with Prinze Jr. and Cook leading the way, it's still a good movie to see..
Not much else can be said about it.It was predictable from the get go.And much too many sub plots and characters ,for a movie with an hour and a half running time.Easily one of the worst films I have seen this year.Like I said earlier,it is an and a half I will never get back !!!!!.
She's All That features the most popular guy in high school (Freddie Prinze Jr.) betting that he can transform the biggest basket case in school (Rachael Leigh Cook) into the prom queen.
the only ugliness was Freddie Prinze Jr.'s acting.I've got a pet monkey that could play a better lead man.I feel like I wasted 2 hours of my life.Thank God I didn't pay money to rent it.from now on I will trust my gut on picking a movie.Id rather watch Jesus Get beaten over watching Freddie Prinze Jr. beat his dads name into the ground.No wonder his dad shot himself.I gave it a 5 for the Rachel Leigh Cook stairway scene.
So, She's All That has been on TV, but obviously, most movies on TV are so badly edited and you have to deal with commercials, so I finally broke down and rented this silly movie.She's All That is about a girl, Laney, who is supposed to be "the ugliest dorkiest" girl at school, even though she's not really ugly, Zach, the good looking popular jock, has just been dumped by his popular girlfriend and has made a bet with his friend that he can make any girl into a prom queen, so they pick Laney.
In this particular movie though, the stars are Freddie Prinze Jr, Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Usher Raymond, Kierian Culkan, Kevin Pollak, Tim Matheson, Eldon Henson, Anna Paquin, Susan May Pratt, Kimberly "Lil Kim" Jones, Paul Walker, and Clea Duvall.
Also, this movie had an awesome cast including Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Usher Raymond, Gabrielle Union, Matthew Lillard, Lil Kim, and more!!!
OK, I'll drive.And that is pretty much why I not only saw She's All that, but also brought a ticket so I could see it on the big screen and then kind of maybe purchased the VHS and watched it a lot more than it deserved to be watched.I know, I know, it's an obsession, but hey, she's cute AND she can emote a hell of a lot better than Jennifer Connelly and Jennifer Connelly won an Academy Award.So As a result I've seen an unfortunate amount of Cook's movies.And this one was exactly what I thought it was: a '90s teen version of the Taming of the Shrew.So you know, if you walked out of this with your mind blown by the plot...either you never read Shakespeare in high school--which if you are my age could ONLY mean that you were in an LD class...or it means you are a Millennial that has NEVER seen a teen movie before.In either case, you know the plot, the only difference between this movie and every other teen movie based on Taming of the Shrew is that this one stars Rachael Leigh Cook and is by definition slightly better than all the rest...regardless of actual quality..
about the movie, Freddie Prinze Jr. plays the local high school hunk,, his friend is played by a very young Paul Walker, I had totally forgotten that he was even in this movie to be honest,, and I've watched it several times..
it's time for the prom and the most popular guy at school get's dumped by a hottie, so she decides to hook up with this obnoxious guy she met a spring break,, so his heart is broken, and his friend is like hey you can have any girl at school, so he makes a bet that he can get the nerdiest , or ugliest girl at school,, so the friend picks out Laney Boggs,, who by the way was not ugly at all kinda cute,, but definitely a little nerdy,, great film I thought and Kiernan Culkin did a great job as well as the little brother,, this is a must see comedy,, don't pass this one by..
We know how the rest of the story plays out, but the film's smart script, adds a lot of funny touches, like Laney's after school hobby, an artist venting group.
Like any other predictable teen 90s movie, Zack starts to fall for the out of the ordinary, quirky Laney as he gets to know her.
SO he decides that his mates(one played by the late Paul Walker) can change any nerdy girl into a prom queen for Zach to take to the prom as part of a bet(like that other film that was released the same year 10 things I hate about you starring the late Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles).
To pick an unattractive actress to transform would send out the message that the only way you will ever be accepted is if you tart yourself up.The premise is quite thin and perhaps a more severe transformation would have been more entertaining but Freddie Prince Junior, as Zach, the jock who makes a bet that he can't transform the geekiest girl in the school Laney (Rachel Leigh Cook) into prom queen is charismatic and has nice chemistry with Cook.
"She's All That" (1999) is a school dramedy/romance flick -- more drama than comedy -- about a pretty, but outcast, mousy girl (Rachael Leigh Cook) who suddenly has a couple of popular guys interested in taking her to the prom (Freddie Prinze Jr. and Paul Walker).
She's All ThatThe only downside to being Prom Queen is that you can't behead any of your zit-faced subjects.Fortuitously, the Prom Queen in this teen-comedy is merely a pawn.Distraught over a break-up, Zach (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) makes a bet with his friend Dean (Paul Walker) that he can turn any female candidate into a royal consort before the prom.In charge of selecting a worthy contender, Dean decides on Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook), a dowdy art student.Accepting the challenge, Zach begins reworking the reject and eventually turns her into something very regal.But Zach's newfound feelings for Laney are jeopardized when she learns the truth.With doe eyed leads and a dumbed down plot, this slightly amusing adaptation of Pygmalion turns the ugly duckling anecdote on its ear.Besides, it doesn't matter who the Prom Queen is, the Prom King will inevitability be going home with the Prom Lady-in-Waiting.
With his reputation in jeopardy Zack bet best friend that he could turn any girl into the prom queen in six week.In my point of view, I really do enjoy this movie a lot.
I watched this movie very late..from it's premiere ..7 years late..and i get the feeling that it was better this way..now that i know and have seen most of it's actors..many of them who happen to be now very good and payed Hollywood stars..like Paul Walker or Gabrielle Union...so..i must say that for me this film was great..to see all these familiar faces together in one movie since they were kids made me like this movie a lot.i know most of the people don't like teen movies anymore but they still have their educational purposes and can be welcomed each year (at least for USA) with a new version and new actors..who might come for the future big screen as stars!
SHE'S ALL THAT **1/2 Typical teen comedy that has smirk-faced Freddie Prinze Junior and near-recluse Rachael Leigh Cook draw together in a high school setting.
" She`s all that " is not original but it`s a lot of fun.Freddie Prinze Jnr provides his best ever screen performance in the lead role while Rachel Leigh Cook is excellent as the girl he falls for and there is good from the likes of Matthew Liliard,Paul Walker,Kierian "Igby"Culkin and Kevin "Usual Suspects" Pollak.In all a good film......oh yeah and that Sarah Michelle Gellar school canteen cameo is absoluely priceless..
This Film Has A Great Plot and Cast which Inc's Freddie Prince Jr(I know what you did last summer)Rachel Cook(Josie and the Pussycats) Matthew Lillard (Scream) Paul Walker (Skulls) They are all very funny people and made me laugh again and again..
You know where the story is going, and what is going to happen, right from the start.Furthermore -- and I wish someone in Hollywood would listen to this -- high school is not anything like what's depicted in this movie.I'm sure there are many great stories that could be told about adolescence, the search for popularity, the need for acceptance, the difficulties of teen relationships, etc.
This movie is as bad as I first thought it would be, the only good thing is Rachael Leigh Cook that, like in "Tangled", made a movie that is a complete waste of time.
Although being very bad the film has it's moments, like the mixing of the school and the pool at the beginning, and the program "Real World L.A." being broadcasted with the character of the movie, but that isn't enough, there are a lot of things bad explained, want examples?
I think that Freddie Prinze Jr. enjoyed making it or he wouldn't be also in "Boys and Girls" another as bad as this one.The only good think I can say about the movie is that I've discovered that Rachael Leigh Cook (who is fabulous is AntiTrust, a must see computer movie) is left-handed like me..
The story goes..the popular guy in school gets dumped by the most popular girl - he then makes a bet with his friend and in the end falls for the school 'freak'.The bet is that Zach Siler somehow has to turn the 'freaky' Laney Boggs into the Prom Queen!!
This is an excellent movie with great acting from all the cast, but especially Racheal Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr. Good story line with a semi-twist at the end.
Though, the odd thing is that Laney is a girl who is a geek, Zach is like the most popular guy in the school and they get together.
This is a pretty good movie about high school relationships and stuff like that.