Whereas the John Hughes era of teenage films had a distinctly innocent bent to its brand of teenage comedy, by the time the 90s got around to the genre, all of that was gone in favor of pandering to the concept of “cool” in its most commercialized fashion. Gone were the days of delinquents bonding over detention hardships or stealing cars for a day of fun in Chicago, and in its place were cynical films about teenage popularity based on house parties empty high school titles. In the midst of the many teen flicks of the late 90s like Can’t Hardly Wait and 10 Things I Hate About You, there came a film whose soundtrack might have received more attention than it ever did as a whole: She’s All That.
Have you ever wondered what the cool kids do for fun? Or how they get over a break-up when the alpha male and alpha females split? The answer is they place bets on making socialites out of the social outcasts. So goes the story of Zack (Prinze Jr.) in his bet against his friend Dean (Paul Walker) when he attempts to create the next Prom Queen out of bookish Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) while dealing with his recent dumping by Taylor (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe). Though Laney initially resists Zack’s advances, she eventually caves after a few unconventional dates that reveal him to be more than just a popular guy with no brains in his head.
Is it possible not to sound bitter when criticizing a film for casting Freddie Prinze Jr. as the coolest kid in school who also happens to be one of the top students in his class? Granted, it’s certainly a new concept for a high school film, where the coolest kid is also one of the smartest, but it’s the film equivalent of stacking the deck in the main character’s favor. Every problem he has is based on having too many opportunities, too many friends, or too much influence. What a curse that must be. It doesn’t help that Prinze has all the depth of paper or that he’s put to shame by his costar Rachael Leigh Cook in every scene.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
An audio commentary with Director Robert Iscove, the film’s trailer, and the music video for “Kiss Me” by Sixpence none the Richer (the song that quickly became more famous than She’s All That, where it made its mainstream debut) are the only extras on the disc.
"She's All That" is on sale January 3, 2012 and is rated PG13. Comedy, Drama. Directed by Robert Iscove. Written by R. Lee Fleming Jr.. Starring Freddie Prinze Jr, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Rachael Leigh Cook, Jodi Lyn Okeefe.
