Running time:
105 mins
Two out of
Five stars
Enjoyably silly comedy, though the script is disappointing and it misses the opportunity to be something really special.
What’s it all about?
Loosely based on Twelfth Night, She’s the Man stars Amanda Bynes as Viola Hastings, a high school girl who impersonates her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) at his new school, Illyria Prep, in order to hit back at her ex-boyfriend (Robert Hoffman) and convince her own football coach that she’s good enough to join the boys’ team.
Complications naturally arise when Viola/Sebastian finds herself falling for her sensitive male roommate Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum), who in turn has a crush on the beautiful Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who, just to make things even more complicated, has a crush on the new kid, Sebastian.
The Good
Teen star Amanda Bynes (The Amanda Show) is an extremely likeable actress and she does a pretty good job of passing as a boy, though she’s a little over-reliant on comedy mugging at times. There are several good sight gags but if you’ve seen the trailer then you’ll already have seen most of them.
The Bad
The main problem is that She’s the Man lacks any real wit or sophistication which is surprising given that it’s from the same writing team behind Ten Things I Hate About You and Legally Blonde. As a result, the film wastes the opportunity to be something really special and squanders the comedy potential of Twelfth Night.
In addition, there are whole sequences that make no sense and both David Cross and Julie Hagerty are sadly underused. That said, there is a truly spectacular, surprisingly violent three-way catfight that’s probably the film’s funniest scene.
Worth seeing?
In short, this is an enjoyably fluffy teen comedy but it could have been much, much better. Watchable, but a wasted opportunity.