Shes All That

What elevates She's All That above the realm of standard teen fare is its mixture of good-natured fairy-tale romance and surprisingly clear-eyed view of high school social strata. The lines of class are demarcated as clearly as if in a Jane Austen novel, but the satire is equally deflating and affectionate. Sure, high school could be bad sometimes, but it was lots of fun too; this is a movie good-natured enough to take time out for an extended hip-hop dance number at the prom. Director Robert Iscove (who also helmed the Brandy-starring TV adaptation of Cinderella) has also assembled a great young cast, including a scene-stealing Anna Paquin as Zach's no-nonsense sister, Kieran Culkin as Laney's geeky brother, and a stupidly goofy Matthew Lillard as a Real World cast member whose arrival shakes things up a little too much. And amidst all the comedy and prom drama, you'd be hard-pressed to find two teen stars as talented, attractive, and appealing as Prinze and Cook. Prinze is an approachable and sensitive jock, though it's Cook who's the true star, investing Laney with confidence, humor, and heart. Like Zach, you'll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with her. By the story's end, both Cook and the film will have charmed the socks off of you. --Mark Englehart

The jist of this movie was that there is a dork, everyone treats her like crap they make her all pretty (They take of a pair of thick glasses...WOW) and then she lives happily ever after with the jerk that bet everyone he could turn her into prom queen. Charming. Kind of reminds of of Ten Things I Hate about you does it not? A film which I also dislike.


it's all bad   May 29, 2004
This is the last ripple in the wave of teenage movies that gripped the nation in the late 1990s. A la Pygmalion, My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman, a girl looked down by general society gets a makeover by a respected man and everyone loves her. yay!

But this is the most boring version yet! It is nice that Freddie Prinze Jr's character is a popular jock who is also on the honor roll -- but that's it for changes and surprises. Unless you count the fact that everyone at the prom does a synchronized choreographed dance. Watch if it is on TV, but don't spend actual money on it.


This exemplifies what is bad about "teen movies"   May 18, 2004
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Not only is this film completely predictable, it is also entirely implausible. Cook is simply NOT believable as the "ugly duckling." The characterizations are one-dimensional, and the plot twists are as stagey and disconnected as would be in a high school skit.

Is it any wonder that this was the primary source for "Not Another Teen Movie"?


rachel rocks   April 20, 2004
I absolutly adore Rachel Leigh Cook who plays Laney in this movie, I have seen many of her movies, Josie and the pussycats, Tom and Huck, The Babysitters Club, of course She's all that, and more she's just an amazing beautiful and talented actress. She brings such honestly and virtue to all her characters and while being beautiful she's not the kind of beautiful where she looks unapprochable, she looks like she would be a normal down-to-earth person that could of easily went to your school. I think she's absolutly adorable. I love her little girl face.

Like I said she plays Laney, a high school senior who is the "geek" of her high school she's known as the ugly duckling. It's obvious that the people who did this movie realized it's impossible to make it a total transformation like in The Princess Diaries cause Rachel can't go from downright ugly and sad to stunningly beautiful like others can because she's naturaly beautiful and her beauty doesn't come from makeup a fancy hairdo or a skimpy outfit. But they made an effort to give her plain nothing special long hair, big glasses and a clumsy nature to make her an ugly duckling. But Cook took what she had to work with and slamdunked it.

Freddie Prinze Jr. plays oppisite of Rachel as Zach the most popular guy in school who seemed like he had everything going for him. Cute, popular, smart, dating the hottest girl in school who is up for prom queen, a jock, your typical popular guy. But when his girlfriend Taylor (played by the beautiful and talented Jodi Lyn O'Keefe who often gets the sexy and popular but downright bit**y roles thrown at her. But she's still one of my favorites) comes back from spring break, she also comes back with a new tattoo and a new famous boy toy (played by the always goofy Matthew Lillard) so she drops Zach like a hot burrito which is a major burn to his ego and reputation.

Zach's best friend (played by sexy Paul Walker from the fast and the furious movies) offers him a bet. He gets to pick a girl for Zach to date and transform into prom queen material in only a few weeks and whoever loses has to go to graduation naked. Zach agrees, and guess who he picks. You guessed it, Laney. At first Laney is totally turned off by Zach's sudden interest but slowly starts to hang out with him and as she does Zach's little sister gets rid of the glasses cuts her hair and gives her makeup and a little red dress and suddenly Laney is known as Taylor's competition for prom queen and Zach becomes smitten for real.

Laney has to deal with Taylor who when her new boy toy kicks her to the curb suddenly wants to pick Zach back up but of course he's not interested anymore cause he likes Laney and this makes Taylor jealous at Laney. She also has to deal with Zach's friend who arranged the bet and picked Laney thinking he was sure to win the bet but now feels threatened and so decides to try to get Laney for himself and make Zach look like a jerk to her.

The attraction between Laney and Zach is undeniable and when he starts hanging around her she inspires him to be a nice guy and to look at where his future is headed.

The whole cast is great and it's a lot better protrayal for teens and more believeable then other teen movies are. It's a funny, touching story that I think everyone will love especially teenagers.


movie you can watch over and over   April 3, 2004
This was a fun film to watch and its a feel good movie.Paul and fred are cool to watch since they are so cute. So if you ever get in the mood to feel good then this movie is the one to own.