She's the Man

There is no holier and more sanctified establishment in all of literature than Shakespeare. He is known at least on a cursory level to everyone, and I do mean everyone. The thing is a lot of people look at Shakespeare and they go “this is crap; I can’t read this; he’s not even speaking the same language as me.” Partially true, but that is a discussion for another time. But for those people, all hope is not lost. That’s why God invented remakes.

She’s the Man is an update of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, setting it in a modern day high school. Now, the fact that all the high-schoolers are 25 years old and think a pimple is some kind of Swedish cooking utensil is forgivable considering that in the list of things that are unbelievable about this movie, this is relatively low. The entire plot is completely ridiculous and unfeasible, but that’s not the point. For that matter, the plot of Twelfth Night is every ounce as unfeasible as this one. That’s why it’s a comedy. Comedies by nature are unfeasible because that’s what makes them funny. Also, comedies by nature end with everyone being happy, except for the villains, who are shaking their fists in an “I’ll get you for this!” fashion. This is a paradigm that has stood the test of time, and there’s no need to re-invent the wheel. After all, we’re re-making, not starting from scratch.

The ridiculousness of the plot is redeemed by the cast’s skill at comedy and considerable charm. There isn’t a cast member that isn’t at least a little funny. Vinnie Jones’ character might qualify, but he is funny on a somewhat different level than the others. At the center, though, is Amanda Bynes’ performance. She is in nearly every scene, and she carries that responsibility with poise and competence. Plus she’s just so cute. Sure, she’s not at all convincing as a boy. Sure, her accent when doing the guy voice sounds like a ghetto Alabaman. But again, that’s not the point. If she wanted to, I think she could have done a serious and convincing guy. But her aim was not to create a convincing guy; it was to create a guy that would make you laugh. There were a dozen little touches for the bibliophiles who couldn’t escape comparing it to the play, like that the pizza place the teenagers frequent was called Cezario’s, or that Malcom’s spider was named Malvolio. I could have done without that, actually. That was where the screenwriter decided to hit the audience over the head with a frying pan and say “THIS IS MALVOLIO!”

The first five minutes or so belong to a different movie, however. I am convinced that they were written by the screenwriter’s five-year-old daughter. During them, I seriously thought I would hate this movie, because the dialogue was handled with such ineptitude that I thought it was aimed at preschool. But then it does a switch, being the point that all the characters become comfortable in their own skin. What was a problem at first, and became less so as the movie went on, was the prevalence of clichés and contrivances about gender roles. Guys play sports, girls bake cookies. Girls wear frilly dresses, so they don’t need a soccer team. But then I realized that all those clichés come from Shakespeare, so it was okay. Plus, they were presented in a way that didn’t seem like a retread.

To enjoy this movie, one has to get back to what comedy is really all about: making people laugh. It’s not about presenting a convincing story, or characters that are real people. If you are looking for that, She’s the Man is definitely not for you. But if you want to laugh, and are ready to let yourself laugh, it is.

Iconic lines:
“Is it just me, or does this soccer game have more nudity than most?”
“I mean… which one would you rather see NAKED??!!??”
“Do you like… cheese?”

22 Rating: 13

Particle Man