From Deseret News archives:
She's the Man
Film review
Two of the credited screenwriters behind "She's the Man" also wrote the movie "10 Things I Hate About You," which explains why it's more tolerable than you'd probably expect.
Like that 1999 sleeper hit, this teen comedy updates one of Shakespeare's classics, changing its setting to an American high school. "10 Things" did that to "The Taming of the Shrew," while "She's the Man" tackles the considerably trickier, gender-bending "Twelfth Night."
The film is generally likable and pretty good-natured, but its proclivity for crude jokes and dumb slapstick eventually bring it down.
Amanda Bynes stars as Viola Hastings, a teen who's devastated because her school has canceled the girls soccer program. So she decides to transfer to the private school attended by her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk).
But since he's off in London with his band, Viola disguises herself as her twin and takes his place. Posing as Sebastian, she joins the school's boys soccer team and befriends Duke (Channing Tatum), the star player.
Duke is hoping that "Sebastian," an alleged ladies man, will give him some tips on how to woo their classmate, Olivia (Laura Ramsey). Unfortunately, Olivia already has a crush on the disguised Viola, whom she believes is a boy. And Viola, in turn, is crushing on Duke.
The screenwriters do make some sense out of this potentially confusing game of mistaken identities, sexual and otherwise. And Andy Fickman's energetic direction does keep things moving quickly.
As for Bynes, she may not be even remotely believable as a boy, but her goofiness is appealing. The veterans in the supporting cast also garner a few guilty laughs, including David Cross as the school's clueless principal.
"She's the Man" is rated PG-13 for some comic and athletic violence (including some brawling and fisticuffs), some crude humor about bodily functions and body parts, and scattered use of profanity. Running time: 105 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
