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. Flimsy updating of Pygmalion is hard to hate. It doesn't take itself seriously in the least. Yeah it's absolutely ridiculous that Rachael Leigh Cook, an exceptionally pretty girl, would be considered unattractive just because she wears glasses and overalls. But you just roll with it because it's cute and fun. The cast is very likable and the script is good for this type of movie. Matthew Lillard steals pretty much every scene he's in. It's fluff but you'll be smiling when it's over. Can't see the harm in that.
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A_Different_Drummer3 August 2014That the IMDb score is way too low speaks I think to the fact that the intended audience for the film was ... disappointed. Perhaps expectations were too high? Perhaps this story had been done once too often. But the odd fact (and the thrust of this review) is that the film is memorable because the stars rise above the material .... before they themselves burn out and lapse into film obscurity.
It was an odd confluence of talent. Director Iscove is well respected in TV but this remains one of his only shots at a feature. Prinze, who had pretty much owned the casting niche he was in, was 23 at the time the film was made and arguably long in the tooth for a high schooler. Nonetheless the chemistry between him and Leigh-Cook was powerful and that chemistry held the movie up when the dialog and the mugging by the other actors let it down.
It's all timing. Leigh-Cook never really made the transition to films after, but kept very busy with TV. Prinze never really made the transition, period, but he's still a young guy and who knows? The Pygmalion thing has been done to death but oddly Iscove, Prinze and Leigh-Cook kept it alive for one more outing. Entertaining. -
Carro10131 August 2021I thought this one was cheesy, now iv watched the new one I feel this deserves a higher review! The prime example of something that shouldnt of been remade!
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series_of_moments5 January 2005I'd actually recommend seeing it if you don't feel like a heavy movie and just want to watch something fun. The movie is 'another teen movie" but does have some unique aspects to it, some pretty funny quotes ("what is this, the dork outreach program?")and moments, but unfortunately, a lot of that average teen movie drama and a few overly two-dimensional characters (Zach's friends and girlfriend). 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. Not a bad movie, not a great movie, just simply what it is:'another teen movie'.
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rbverhoef9 July 1999When I saw this film a couple of years ago, I was sixteen, I sort of loved it. Seeing it again, not in my teenage years anymore, I realize that 'She's All That' really is for teenagers. 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 that is pretty logical since the actors are in their mid-twenties. Well, Rachael Leigh Cook was only twenty, and I have to admit that she is the main reason to see this movie if you are a guy. Freddie Prinze Jr. is her love interest and personally I think he is one of the most annoying actors out there, no exception here.
The whole story is very predictable actually. Prinze is the most popular guy on their high school, just dumped by his beautiful girlfriend. Now he makes a bet with a friend: he can turn any girl into a prom queen. The friend selects the girl and of course he chooses Rachael Leigh Cook. Convenient for Prinze, since she already is a beautiful girl. It does not really matter whether she wears glasses and floppy pants. 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. Sometimes it is funny and when you are watching a romantic comedy all you really want, I guess, is the main characters get together in a nice way. That sort of happens. A teenager will probably love it, but others will not completely waste their time. -
Travis McBeal1 December 1999High school Jock Number One gets dumped by his prom queen to be! Doh! So the fool bets that he can make a replacement out of the geekiest girl in school.
And this is one helluva geek. For a start, she DOESN'T LIKE DUMB MACHO JOCKS. No, really! And listen, you're gonna love this - SHE WEARS GLASSES!!! I know! And the first time we see her, she TRIPS OVER ON THE STAIRS!!! What a total geek-of-the-week man-eatin' psycho Commie MUTANT, huh? Let's all point at her and LAFF!
Luckily, he redeems her by making her wear contact lenses and pretty dresses. Soon, she'll be just like everyone else. Hallelujah!
God, I hate my generation. -
Sergiodave9 May 2022A pretty good movie loosely based on the 60's musical 'My Fair Lady' where an ugly duckling becomes a swan. The only problem I saw with the casting is that the duckling (Rachael Leigh Cook) had twice the looks of the Swan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) at the start of the movie. The acting is pretty good, although Matthew Lillard overacts as usual. A simple feel good movie.
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Quinoa198424 October 2000While I would never put this film up with the contender teen flicks (American Pie for instance), if there was a pick between this and Bring it On, I'd go for the first. 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. While I wouldn't call this the best idea to turn someone's mindset like that, the film makes it almost work, and slightly (though never completely) makes Zach's lifestyle apealing. Sweet romantic comedy, though it isn't a quality flick. B-
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King of high school Zach Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is unceremoniously dumped by hot queen Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) for an idiot realty TV star (Matthew Lillard). While bragging about his prowess, he's challenged by his douche friend Dean Sampson (Paul Walker) to remake class freak Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) into a prom queen.
It's sort of like a modern adaptation of Pygmalion. This and other teen movies are prime to be mocked. RLC is a hot girl, and of course we only realize it after she takes her glasses off. But every genre has it's own clichés and it's own stereotypes. It doesn't negate the genre. This is a prime example of a movie taking all the clichés and making it all work for them.
The most important part is definitely RLC. She does the grumpy girl and the sweet girl. And she does both by being the cutest ever. There are also some great young actors of that era including Anna Paquin, Dulé Hill, and Gabrielle Union. The cast is a young energetic group. -
bob the moo9 September 2002When high school jock Zak is dumped by his prom-queen style girlfriend, he rashly says that he doesn't need her and that any girl he dates will become the prom queen. A friend takes her up on the bet and picks geeky art student Laney. 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? Here we get yet another retelling of Pygmalion except here it doesn't really convince as a comedy or a story. The plot isn't particularly imaginative and feels lifeless and a little flat as a result like it has no spark of it's own. 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. Cook is good as Laney but it's a shame that the film sees some sort of victory of making this geeky arty girl into a beautiful Valley girl type that conforms to the pack. What message does that send out to teenagers? At one point Zak says that he'd rather work with fat or ugly than Laney but really she is only acceptable because she is pretty and not fat or ugly. The rest of the cast are a range of teen actors who you'll recognise from other films who do nothing out of the ordinary. Usher has a cool cameo but why did Lil' Kim take a role that was barely a support 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 lacks spark or imagination and the comedy is either crude or too slight to be funny. It's watchable but it's not all that. -
C Man22 January 1999A horrible movie with bad acting and directing. I can recall one scene where I can see the mic on the top center of the screen. An example of bad acting is when the female protagonist "cries" and runs away. She supposedly falls down, but it was such a bad job, that even people were yelling, "That was so fake!" in the theater. Just think of this movie as Clueless, Can't Hardly Wait, and the Breakfast Club all mixed in one, minue any of the redeeming qualities these movies possess. For all the young people, Raymond Usher and Lil' Kim are in the movie for a total of 5 minutes.
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rmlattimore4 April 2009There are some movies that make me just stop what I'm doing and watch. Braveheart, Clear and Present Danger, Casino Royale, Godfather I and II, Goodfellas, Top Gun are just a few that come to mind. Not all are classics, but all have _something_ to them that engrosses me. She's All That is one of those movies.
Yes, Rachel Leigh Cook is so so cute. Fuggedaboudat. Watch her. See if she delivers one line as if she memorized it, as if she's repeating what someone else wrote. There's not one unnatural act or utterance from her. She is completely believable, and because her character rings so true, you cannot help but empathize with her, and that is what makes the movie -- when she wins out in the end, you're happy she did because she makes you care about her. She's as good as Kate Blanchett was in The Aviator (completely different movies, completely different roles, by Blanchett deservedly won an Oscar). She has that character absolutely nailed, you won't see - can't see -- a better performance.
(And for what it is worth, this may be Paul Walker's best performance. I credit the director for getting the performances that he did out of cast of young actors not generally known for their talent.) As for the rest of the movie, you've seen it before, but so what? Star Wars is Battle of Britain, set in the future with a backstory, no one holds that against it. The choreographed dance scene is great, and it IS well cast and it IS well acted, clichéd or not. -
MissCzarChasm25 August 2001The Story:
She's All That is nothing to take seriously at all. It's a harmless little film that serves it's 90 minute entertainment value. I wasn't bored, i wasn't too impressed but i could handle watching the film and accepting it for what it is: a harmless teen film.
The plot is pretty simple. The most popular guy in school has just been dumped by his girlfriend and to prove that he can make anyone like her he takes his friends on a bet that he can turn the dorkiest girl in high school into the new prom queen. Of course they hat each other in the beginning and like any romantic comedy they begin to like each other when their relationship begins to progress. You can probably guess how this one ends.
The Acting:
Freddie Prinze Jr: I can't tell if he's a bad actor or if he just picks material that is totally beneath him. He was terrible in I Know What You Did Last Summer but in his roles that followed that picture he got a lot better. He has major screen presence here and considering the material he carry's himself quite well.
Rachel Leigh Cooke: She's the soul of this film. If not for her i don't think i would've liked it as much. She's a very capable actress and i hope she finds material that is truly worthy of her talent.
Paul Walker: i guess he wans't too bad in this film but his talent is completely minimal. He isn't anything too special. The average high schooler with no talent could've played this part though.
Jodi Lynn O'keffe: she basically played the female equivalent of paul walker's character, but with a little more sass. She isn't too bad in this film but it doesn't speak well of her talent when she basically plays the same part in the film Whatever it Takes.
Anna Paquin: Her character is way too small. She's actually pretty good in her few scenes however. I've always thought she was pretty talented. Wish her character could've had more to do
Matthew Lillard: He's quite funny in his scenes. I've always thought he was a pretty good actor. I also wish he would chose better material that is worthy of his talent. Too bad his current film ism Summer Catch.
There are some pretty funny scenes as well. The Dance sequence at the prom is pretty fun and done with a lot of energy. Also pretty funny are real sequences. I thought those were pretty clever. The rest of the film is the same generic harmeless teen stuff that isn't too smart but something i can't really hate. -
paulmst3k8 August 2000WARNING: (might contain spoilers) (of course this movie is so predictable, I don't believe it is possible to have spoilers)
This movie is a cesspool of cliches, swearing, cute but untalented actors, and lots of "hip" and "cool" so-called "music." Freddie Prinze, Jr. plays the typical popular guy. (i guess that's because he plays soccer, that makes him popular, just like real high school, right?) Anyway, his bleached-brain friends start a bet to turn an ugly duckling into a prom queen. Unfortunately, they already picked a beautiful swan. In fact, the movie points out that Cooke's only "ugly" attribute is that she wears glasses. And, naturally, we assume that glasses make her nerdy and ugly. It would have been much more interesting if they picked an overweight girl with braces, and started an alternate day bulk-up routine and a diet of Slim-Fast, to make her skinny enough for prom-queen acceptable. Instead, the filmmakers make it easy on themselves by simply getting the girl contacts. The rest of the movie tries to make us believe that this is how high school students behave and act, and becomes offensive. I hated watching the scenes of the big parties, the walking on the beach, and the unsightly hair on the pizza. Don't any of these students take time to study and learn? Oh, no. Of course not. That's what all the nerdy people do, and we're trying to make them prom queen. And prom queens do not like books (according to the movie) Anyway, I am sorry to say that I saw this movie, luckily I saw it at the dollar theater. I'm hoping that Hollywood will come out with a satrical, unique high-school comedy in the future. I continue to wait... -
Ziglet_mir14 April 2020Sometimes when you open up to people, you let the bad in with the good.
I'm not trying to fool anyone here by attempting to make an unironic argument for why this film is any semblance of amazing because it isn't. This isn't the sexy, sleek kale shake. Nor is it Nonna Marie's elegant and decadent chocolate soufflé. This is the goddamned beautiful, golden twinkie staring straight at you from the pantry shelf at 3:00 AM or that week-old triple-chunk box brownie left sitting in the pan on your kitchen counter; you know you probably shouldn't have it but you do. And it is even more delicious than your hunger was telling you. It's still real rough around the edges, it definitely isn't of respected homemade quality and it may have some hairs in it. But while it may be all those things it's something that lures you back with some sort of infinite charm. Excuse my really long (and probably unnecessary food analogy) but it perfectly encapsulates how I feel about 1999's She's All That.
I just spent 95 min watching something I would have never given the light of day and yet here I am writing a positive review.
Generally, the acting is subpar but dont let the ass-awful title fool you. Freddie Prince Jr has some chops and Kevin Pollack literally steals every scene he's in (it may potentially be the best work he's ever done and I'm not throwing shade). The gorgeous Rachel Leigh Cook is unbelievable to be cast as the school nerd (she's too pretty even with glasses) and her acting isn't polished by any means, but she seems to adapt gravitas depending on who she shares a scene with. There are two scenes of note: "Am I a fucking bet?!" And Pollack's fatherly "Do it for you" scene that show this film has its worth. The film tries too hard with some college subplots and fails miserably but it's easily overlooked. Overall, I couldn't believe the number of faces my wife and I recognized as we made fun of the styles and trends, laughed a little and fell prey to the setting of the late 90s.
She's All That really doesn't hold much to 1999's other coming of age hit 10 Things I Hate About You (that also has a major bet as its plot device) as the acting, directing and writing are all better in spades, but once again, there's that silly iresistable charm I keep referring to.
Can any respectable dude not crush on RLC after watching this? Or laugh their ass off at Matthew Lillard's actually amazing self-degrading comedic turn? Or Freddie Prinze Jr doing an arthouse segment with a hackysack? Or maybe it's a naked FPJ tossing a volleyball as his only cover to the girl he loves? How about hearing "whatev" or "wigged out" used in serious conversation?
I suppose I can't convince everyone about it's charm but goddamn if you wont ever catch me sneaking a Twinkie at 3:00 AM. -
Kirpianuscus27 August 2018She represents the lead motif for see the film. More than the too familiar plot, performances of young actors, cliches or the try to give a romantic comedy. She acts in the most beautiful manner. And that gives to a simple and mediocre teenagers comedy breath and some force. An identity. And push the story to the right way. A great young actress changing everything. That is all.
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olireid1 March 2022You don't need to overanalyze this one. We need to put this into context: this was what was done best in terms of romantic comedy in the 90s. Yes it's cheezy, predictable and nothing groundbreaking but that's what was done best in terms of romantic comedy from the 90s. This was a movie aimed for young teenage girls. The characters, especially side characters are clichés, the dialogues aren't deep but the movie is still enjoyable. It does what you expect and perfectly fine. It's comfort cheezy romance. The thing that carries the movie is the simple plot and the charisma of both main characters. That's it. If you're young and have not lived in the 90s, I recommend watching it. You'll enjoy it and find a movie with a style that no longer exist today. I recommend it if you just want to watch a simple cheezy cute movie.
As for judging this movie in terms of political correctness of today's standards, I don't get how it offense anyone. This movie still has good morale. The girl who think she's ugly starts to like herself. The guy who thinks badly of a girl starts to really know and like her. The actual *-holes loses and have loses respect from the other kids. -
EvilToady10 August 2005Will someone please tell me they also hated this movie? Please? It was a clichéd plot, the acting was crappy, and it was entirely unrealistic and unbelievable.
The whole 'Guy makes a bet about a girl but then starts to fall for her- oh no! She found out!" thing has been done a million and a half times. The make-over thing? Really stupid. Come on, how many people can just cut their hair, pluck their eyebrows, and then suddenly look like a beauty queen? Besides, he likes her AFTER she has a whole bunch of stuff done to change her appearance so what does that tell us?
Okay, I'm done. I just really hope I wasn't the only one that thought this movie was a steaming pile of excrement. -
If you're up to watching something very complex and long, this movie is a great pick because it's lighthearted and the plot is simple and easy to follow. In terms of the characters, Laney is decently likeable and her personal background has some substance and conflict pertaining to the death of her mom. Zach, Laney's love interest, is a bit harder to instantly take a liking to, especially concerning the reason he and Laney even began to hang out. The friends and the family members of the characters don't really serve any purpose outside of comedic relief or cliche character tropes, except Dean. Dean is Zach's best friend and the one encouraged him to pursue Laney, he turns into the second love interest later in the movie and creates conflict for that section.
None of the problems in this movie are developed largely and instead of being brought into prospect, they're left to linger at the back of your mind while you watch the two leads sweetly fall in love with each other. And then, when they are brought to the forefront again, you suddenly realize that there is some type of conflict between the characters. But it's also one of the movie's strong points because it establishes the movie's purpose and target audience. As I mentioned earlier, this movie is great if you are into bittersweet, entertaining films and don't need or want much drama added to the plot. The ending of this movie follows that theme, but falls flat in its intentions. After all of the pining between Zach and Laney and the sudden incident with Dean, it felt like the movie should have had a more satisfying end. The last scenes felt kind of rushed compared to the drawn out conflicts before them. It felt like Laney had forgiven Zach too easily and like Zach hadn't done anything to have her receive his "apology."
This movie is perfect for background noise or when you're in the mood to laugh and smile more than anything else, because it's really simple and heartwarming. It's a nice film that will make you feel fuzzy and nice on the inside because it's so funny and cute. Nothing more, nothing less. -
rec262 June 2003Formulaic Recipe gone bad!
This movie has all of the elements of an average teen high school flick. The popular group, the unpopular group, the 'controversial' mixing of the popular group and the unpopular group. Yet somehow this movie is definitely below average. The bright spot of the movie is Kevin Pollak who plays La-Ney's practical, dim-witted father. Also the cheesy art spectacle near the beginning is ok and La-Ney's friend (?) Elden Henson gives the audience a fresh comic break from what is an otherwise predictable and unfulfilling plot.
The main problem with the movie is not that it is filled with cliches. Rather that some of the cliches just do NOT make any sense within the scope of the movie. A good example is the subplot of the conflict between Zach Siler and his father. It just is something extra that adds nothing to the main plotline of the movie. Then in the end when Zach graduates he is naked. What does any of this have to do with the movie? He already got the girl so what does it matter if we even see him graduating or not? In this movie it was entirely unnecessary. The movie should have just ended with Zack and La-ney kissing or something like that.
I don't know it just seemed to me as though this movie started out ok and then went on a downward spiral. -
manhattan31982 November 2020It's a late 1990s remake of the John Hughes' 1984 movie sixteen candles . It's the sixteen candles of the late nineties. Good movie but overshadowed the same year by Star Wars phantom menace which came out at the same time this wanna be John Hughes sixteen candles carbon copy.
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RatSpyKiller1 April 2006"It's amazing, isn't it? You would have never guessed that everyone at this school is a professional dancer." I saw "Not Another Teen Movie" before seeing this and didn't realize how closely it resembled this. I didn't go to my high school prom but I did attend the days of school leading up to it. I don't remember so much emphasis being put on King and Queen. No one had a posse following them around and each candidate wasn't endorsed by specific clubs. In fact, we didn't have stupid clubs that focused on hygiene and prisoners; we weren't that obscure.
Anyway, Rachel Leigh Cook is beautiful and anyone could see that before Anna's character "fixed her up" and made her pretty. Glasses, overalls, and a pony tail don't exactly make a person undesirable. The only benefit to the existence of this movie is that a number of parodies can be made after it.
One last thing, at the end he was indecent in public which calls for an arrest. He would go to jail or at least pay a fine for that. That was a dumb ending. -
dee.reid11 July 2012I'm actually surprised at all the negativity aimed at this movie. But I really shouldn't be, you know? It's a formulaic, stereotypical movie about high school and teenagers. In short, it's another teen movie (Not Another Teen Movie - get it?). But there is something disarming about "She's All That." It's sweet, it's funny, it's cute, it's charming, and it's kind of innocent (in its own unique way, of course).
OK, maybe I'm being a little hyperbolic with calling this movie "innocent," but I'm making these judgments because this is a movie that I've always admired since it first came out in 1999 - I was 14 and in middle school that year, so I was definitely within its target audience - and I eagerly rented it on VHS from Blockbuster Video after being released on home video. Regrettably, I never really watched it again after that for some reason; I really wish I could come up with a reasonable explanation, but I honestly have none. (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. It was incredibly well-acted (by its wholesome, good-looking leads, played by Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook), well-written (by R. Lee Fleming, Jr), and directed (by Robert Iscove). I felt that the budding romantic chemistry between the two leads was real and believable. Additionally, the characters, especially Cook's character, Plain Jane art student Laney Boggs, seemed real, three-dimensional, and sympathetic.
I single out Rachael Leigh Cook because this was really her movie all the way. In other words, she simply wasn't running her character through the motions of Fleming's script, and she made Laney Boggs all her own - a living, breathing human being and not a brown-eyed, brunette-haired bombshell. She doesn't go from zero to 10 in the time it takes for you to zip up your jacket, no (even though in the real world, it would be utterly ridiculous for her to be considered, even in her "ugly duckling" stage, anything less than "very, very pretty"; all she needs to do is lose the glasses, do her hair, and update her wardrobe and she's done - instant prom queen status). Her transformation into a beauty queen is something that is seen as a gradual process and is full of real effort on her part. 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"). Zack bets with his best friend Dean (Paul Walker) that he can turn any girl in the school into a prom queen in six weeks. Dean chooses Laney Boggs. 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). But what saves it are its performances from two real, likable characters who are given a chance on-screen to really learn from each other, and learn ABOUT each other and make some unique discoveries about themselves in the process. It's just a quality that I wish more teen films shared these days.
"She's All That" - It really is All That, and then some more.
8/10 -
sixinchmoth29 March 2006The tread that runs true in all treatment of Shaw's work is that in the effort to reshape an "object" the shaper is altered. 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. The death of the mother and the expressions through art make for increased depth in the feminine side of this story (something you don't get in My Fair Lady, for example). Our family also enjoyed the use of the theme from "I'm getting closer to my home" in the score. -
ian_harris4 October 2002So predictable, so derivative. This film came recommended but I feel that the recommendation was misplaced. Taming of the Shrew has been remade many times but in some cases (Pygmalion, My Fair Lady) new eras and genres add something. In this case, we have "taming meets teen-movie" - nothing is added, only taken away.
Cook is very watchable, but she's no shrew which somewhat side-steps the point. And as for having a chip on your shoulder about the jet-setters when you're a teenager living in a house with a huge basement that you can monopolise as your art studio and a swimming pool in the garden. Please. At least in Pretty in Pink the poverty was more relative and somewhat absolute (although even then, if you can afford a car and have a job........).
Unless you have never seen a teen movie and/or never seen a remake of Taming, you've already got this tee-shirt many times over so this movie is not worth the 90 minute wait for the closing credits. My partner, Janie, was asleep within four minutes and barely stirred until the end, which is a record even for her.