Loosely based on Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” and following in the footsteps of every teen romantic comedy before it, She’s the Man is an entertaining movie for its targeted audience, but might leave anyone over the age of thirteen wondering why they took the time to watch it.
She’s the Man was directed by Andy Fickman and was written by Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, and Ewan Leslie. Lutz and Smith also teamed up for the comedies Legally Blonde and Ella Enchanted. She’s The Man is also the duo’s second time to update a Shakespeare classic following 10 Things I Hate About You (which was a remake of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew”).
The film is an ensemble teen comedy with several young starts including Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Hoffman, Jonathan Sadowski, and Alex Breckenridge.
Although there are several changes made to the Bard’s original play, She’s the Man still follows the basic storyline for what would eventually become the basic formula for many romantic comedies. The plot is simple (well sort of) - Viola (Bynes) wants to be a soccer player, but discovers that her school is canceling the girl’s team and that the boy’s team is not open to letting her play.
Her world looks to be over until her brother Sebastian informs her that he is ditching his new school for a few weeks so that he can head to London and play music.
Since no one at the school knows her bother and because the divorced parents don’t have a clue anyway, Viola decides to take Sebastian’s place at the school (which happens to be a huge rival of her school) and make their soccer team. With some help from her friends, Viola transforms into Sebastian and sets off to prove she is just as good a soccer player as any guy.
Of course, this is a romantic comedy so Viola naturally begins to fall in love with her roommate Duke (Tatum), but there are a couple of problems. You see Duke wants Olivia (Ramsey), who just happens to be falling in love with Sebastian (or Bynes in drag). You get the picture. Added to the mix is Sebastian’s real ex-girlfriend Monique (Breckenridge) who can ruin everything for Viola if she discovers the truth and is also a bit of a psycho.
Viola just wants to play boys soccer
Shakespeare was the master of working ensemble comedies where the characters remain confused for most of the play, and the audience benefits from being in on the joke. He knew how to weave a romantic comedy on a level that can still not be matched by today’s writers. This film is a good update of his play, but fails to deliver the laughs on the same level.
Although the film is truly an ensemble picture, much of the movie’s success falls on Bynes’ shoulders to carry the movie and deliver a great deal of the laughs. Unfortunately, the young actress doesn’t pull off the duel roles very well, and never seems too comfortable or believable in both parts.
From the bad wig to the way she carries herself, Bynes’ character never really seems to be believable in the Sebastian role (something that is drastically needed for the plot to succeed) which results in the rest of the characters not working well. There is no real reason for anyone to believe that she could be Sebastian because it is painfully obvious that she is a female.
Instead, we get one scene after another of Bynes having to scramble to keep her true identity a secret. The situations range from the standard showers after practice to having to explain that she uses tampons to stop nose bleeds (I couldn’t have made that part up if I tried and later we get to see Duke trying it out). Some of these scenes are funny, but most are just plain stupid since anyone with a pair of eyes can tell she is a girl.
The catfight is probably the funniest moment of the film
We also get the standard scenes of Viola and Sebastian having to be in the same place at once, and the mix up when the real Sebastian returns unaware of what his sister has been up to while he was gone. These scenes are fairly standard and even if you haven’t watched the film you pretty much know how everything is going to turn out before the credits.
Again, I am not sure if the film’s problems were solely Bynes’ fault. The actress really tries in the role – which is even used as part of the humor as Viola constantly tries so hard to pull off typical “guy behavior.” The actress does have some moments of humor in her performance, but never seems to really gel in either role.
The love story between Duke and Viola is another problem that doesn’t work smoothly in the film. The romantic triangle is needed since the film is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, but never really comes across as real. For most of the beginning of the film, the Duke wants Olivia, and all Viola wants is to play soccer. But after one kiss, she falls hopelessly in love with him, and the soccer becomes almost an afterthought. While this love story is what the comedy is actually about, the transition happens way to fast. Again, the fact that Viola is not believable as Sebastian throws off the whole romantic plot.
The film is not a total waste though and it does have some humor. The scenes involving Breckenridge are some of the movie’s biggest laughs and the actress works extremely well with Bynes. The catfight between Breckenridge, Bynes, and Ramsey is probably the funniest moment of the whole film. She’s the Man just doesn’t have enough comedy or plot to keep you interested from start to finish.
The DVD comes loaded with special features including Making the Man; a look at the cast and crew, cast photo album; music video for “Let Go” by Dave Lichens; and a gag reel. Most of the features are a pretty standard look at how the film came together from script (which was originally called Dude Looks Like A Lady) to screen including interviews with the writers, cast, producers, and director.
The making of features discuss how the script was transformed (Viola originally wanted to play Hamlet instead of soccer). It also includes funny looks at filming (such as Bynes always talking on her cell phone) and the various bloopers from the actors.
‘Inspired by Shakespeare’ features interviews with cast and crew discussing how Shakespeare continues to be a good source for comedy and fits into today. They also discuss the different ways they kept elements from the play in the movie (such as character names, and different locations in the film).
Bynes as Sebastian
Overall, She’s the Man is not a horrible film, but it might fall a little flat on people outside its targeted audience or anyone familiar with the Shakespeare play. The actors try and pull off the comedy, but never seem to really find a pace that is believable and consistent. I would recommend it if you want a light comedy aimed at a younger audience that is something that the whole family can watch. Other than that, it might disappoint.
She’s the Man is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a July 24th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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