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SHE’S ALL THAT

"My Fair Teenager"

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What You Need To Know:

SHE’S ALL THAT is sort of a poor man’s John Hughes movie with the basic premise of MY FAIR LADY. The Big Man on Campus at a L.A. high school bets his pals that he can ask any girl out and transform her into the prom queen within five weeks, including a teenage nerd who spends most of her time in her basement painting. Of course, beneath her glasses and paint splotches, this ugly-duckling turns out to be a beautiful swan. The rest of the movie chronicles their blossoming friendship, as well as their confrontations with disapproving peers.

Since SHE’S ALL THAT is largely a quintessential Hollywood idea of a teen movie, it contains plenty of cursing, drinking and a few gross-out jokes. Only the “bad” characters drink to excess, but all the underage characters have at least one drink. The movie does promote kindness to others, however, especially to persecuted misfits. The principal characters are nice, wholesome kids who show compassion for their peers and a burgeoning integrity except for their occasional alcohol use and abhorrent use of foul language. In the final analysis, SHE’S ALL THAT is lightweight, predictable mind candy.

Content:

(B, LL, V, S, N, AA, D, M) Light moral worldview of accepting others and friendship; four obscenities, 14 profanities, 20 vulgarities, and some sexual humor; mild violence including shoving; foreplay in underwear and frequent sexual innuendo; upper male nudity (once in sexual context); underage drinking and alcohol abuse; smoking but no drugs; and, miscellaneous immorality includes betting, insensitive teasing, mild disrespect toward parents in one scene, and lying.

More Detail:

SHE’S ALL THAT is sort of a poor man’s John Hughes movie. During the 1980s, Mr. Hughes made several “teen” movies that appealed to adults as well as their adolescent target audience. These movies featured sympathetic main characters (often played by Molly Ringwald) mired in typical teenage traumas and surrounded by endearingly quirky peers. The writing was witty and fast-paced.

SHE’S ALL THAT is similar in that its main characters are likable, normal teenagers facing problems that many people all face at that age, while several eccentric characters add humor and originality. Regrettably, however, the movie’s screenplay pales in comparison to Hughes’ funny scripts. The plot is formulaic and predictable, and no classic one-liners will emerge from this film, as they did from Hughes’ movies.

The basic premise of SHE’S ALL THAT is a rehash of MY FAIR LADY (or 1991’s DOGFIGHT, a far more obscure, far better movie starring River Phoenix). The female lead in SHE’S ALL THAT, Laney Boggs (Rachel Leigh Cook), is a teenage nerd who spends most of her time in her basement painting. The Big Man on Campus at her L.A. high school, Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), bets his pals that he can ask any girl out and transform her into the prom queen within five weeks. His friends choose Laney as the lucky make-over candidate. Of course, beneath her glasses and paint splotches, ugly-duckling Laney turns out to be a beautiful swan. The rest of the movie chronicles Laney and Zack’s blossoming friendship, as well as their confrontations with disapproving peers, with predictable results.

The prosaic plot is saved from utter banality by some amusing characters, such as Zack’s ex-girlfriend, Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), a typical Valley Girl who vies with Laney for the prom queen crown. The funniest of these personalities is “Brock Hudson,” a self-absorbed caricature of “Puck,” the famously obnoxious star of MTV’s “The Real World.” Several other amiable, less quirky characters round out the cast, like Anna Paquin as MacKenzie Siler, Zack’s sister, and Elden Hensen as Jesse Jackson, Laney’s best friend. Most of these young actors are not yet well-known, but they do a fine job of fleshing out roles that could easily have become cardboard stereotypes. Rachel Leigh Cook particularly succeeds in portraying an awkward teenage girl stepping into the unknown world of popularity. Instead of completely changing Laney’s character from a nerd to a prom queen, Cook realistically retains Laney’s social awkwardness even after she has been transformed physically.

Since SHE’S ALL THAT is largely a quintessential Hollywood “teen” movie, it regrettably contains plenty of cursing, drinking and a few gross-out jokes. Only the “bad” characters drink to excess, but all the underage characters have at least one drink. The movie does promote kindness to others, however, especially to persecuted misfits. The principal characters are nice, wholesome kids who show compassion for their peers and a burgeoning integrity (except for their occasional alcohol use and foul language).

In essence, SHE’S ALL THAT is harmless mind candy for adults, or for teenagers who have firmly resolved to resist the pressure to drink. Its feel-good conclusion proves a welcome respite for those of us who have seen a few too many “serious” films lately, or for anyone who simply wants to be entertained. However, in the end, SHE’S ALL THAT is all carcinogenic calories full of cursing, drinking and a few gross-out jokes.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.