In late 1990s it became quite fashionable for creatively bankrupt Hollywood screenwriters and producers to use literary classics as basis for films set in present-day US high school milieu. One of the films to represent such trend was She’s All That, 1999 teen romantic comedy directed by Robert Iscove.
The film is loosely based on Pygmalion, famous play by Irish playwright George B. Shaw, later best known for basis for popular musical My Fair Lady and its “Oscar”-winning adaptation. The plot is set in elite Los Angeles high school where Zack Siler (played by Freddie Prinze Jr.), due to his spotless academic record and being captain of a soccer team, holds title of the most popular student. His reputation, however, gets rattled when his girlfriend Taylor Vaughan (played by Jody Lynn O’Keefe) leaves him for Brock Hudson (played by Matthew Lillard), vapid star of MTV reality show. Zack is suddenly left without partner for the prom night and Zack’s friend Dean Sampson (played by Paul Walker) makes a bet whether Zack can take any of girls from school to a prom night and make her a prom queen. Zack accepts and his choice becomes Laney Boggs (played by Rachel Leigh Cook), unglamorous art geek. She at first doesn’t take his seduction attempts seriously, but gradually warms to him and Zack himself genuinely falls in love with her. When Zack, with a help of his sister Mackenzie (played by Anna Paquin) continues Laney’s transformation into irresistible beauty, Taylor is suddenly afraid that she might lose the title of prom queen, while Dean is concerned that he might lose bet. So, both of them start intrigues in order to tear Zack and Laney apart.
She’s All That represents many of the worst aspects of Hollywood’s productions, especially those in romantic comedy genre and teenagers as target audience. “Comedy” isn’t exactly funny; character that is supposed to be “ugly duckling” is playing by an actress that can pass as such only to visually impaired audience; characters and situations have very little or no resemblance to real life and the dialogues seem to be recycled from much better films. Instead of utterly weak script by R. Lee Fleming Jr. and uninspired direction by Robert Iscove, this film had to rely more on marketing for it to become success. Miramax, studio behind the production, has gathered mostly attractive cast in their 20ies that try to pass as teenagers. Freddie Prinze Jr., who was supposed to big star, is utterly bland and completely lacks chemistry with Rachel Leigh Cook. However, the film worked in commercial sense. The critics, with notable exception of legendary Gene Siskel who gave positive appraisal in his last review, didn’t like the film, but the audience flocked to the theatres. Even “Kiss Me”, theme song by Six Pence None the Richer, became big hit. It would be unfair to say that She’s All That is a complete waste time. There are some moments that show that it could have been much better film – Zack improvising during his theatre performance, Zack’s dispensing justice in school caffeteria and cameo appearance of Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, popular show that was being shot at the same school as this film. Those moments, however, aren’t enough to prevent this film to sink into oblivion. In 2021 remake He’s All That with gender-swapped premise was made, with Rachel Leigh Cook appearing in the new role of protagonist’s mother.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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