Cast: Amanda Bynes (Viola), Channing Tatum (Duke), Laura Ramsey (Olivia), Robert Hoffman (Justin)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's She's the Man page.
When I saw ads for this, it reminded me of all the other Amanda Bynes movies and I was immediately positive that it wasn't even worth renting. I saw it, since I was awake on my flight back from Washington/Dulles and knew my computer wouldn't last the full flight time without being plugged in. (Besides, it's easier to watch their movie when eating a snack, drinking, etc. and it contained soccer, which I used to play and really enjoy.)
I was pleasantly surprised by She's the Man. I'm not saying I'm going to go watch the other movies Amanda has been in, but she's a good actress and I'm sure at some point she'll graduate out of the teen comedy/drama. Although I didn't see it mentioned anywhere (even on IMDb), I was surprised to realize early in the movie that She's the Man was based on Twelfthy Night by William Shakespeare. Had they mentioned that in the previews, I might have been interested enough to rent the movie.
I love that there are so many modern movies that are based on the works of William Shakespeare. It shows that although his language may not be timeless his concepts and stories definitely translate into this era. She's the Man is about a girl whose soccer team gets shut down, since there weren't enough girls for the team. Viola pretends to be her brother and goes to his school to get on the team and beat her former school's boys team, since they wouldn't let her try out for their team.
Like the play, there are all kinds of misunderstandings as well as the other themes that are common in Shakespeare's comedies.
Perhaps worth renting. Definitely worth it if you're a teenager and if you like to see updated Shakespeare works, this one is worth it, though not spectacular.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2006, Amanda Bynes, comedy, movie, romance, Shakespeare, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:40 PM show | 0 screams