ALARIS' REVIEWS
26th November 2010
She’s the Man (2006)
Having grown up on wuxia series, I’ve always loved stories about girls masquerading as boys and kicking righteous butt all over the countryside.
Contemporary comedy movie She’s the Man sounded just like my kind of thing. Tomboy Viola is an avid soccer player, and an unrepentant disappointment to her debutante obsessed mother. When the girls’ soccer team at Viola’s high school is unceremoniously disbanded, Viola infiltrates a rival soccer team using her brother’s identity.
Allegedly based on the themes of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the premise is an ideal setup for misunderstandings, close calls, love triangles, and hilarious hijinks. Unfortunately, having the right ingredients is of little help if the chef is a deranged chicken.
Okay, it’s not as bad as it could be, but it’s a let down. Viola begins as a slightly irritating girl, and transforms into a vulgar, obnoxious boy. Curiously, it’s as though she’s been written by a certain kind of man imagining how a woman might imagine a man to be like – full of sleaze and bravado. In one uncomfortable scene, Viola wins the admiration of her dorm mates by treating a series of women with casual misogyny. It’s supposed to be a funny scene, but it lacks the wit or self awareness to be anything other than slightly degrading to everyone involved.
This is one of the biggest problems with She’s the Man. The movie aims for a farcical tone, but without being funny. It’s Baby Mama (2008) all over again, but without the advantage of having Tina Fey.
I don’t feel that the fault lies with the actors, although Amanda Bynes’ overactive expressions get pretty annoying. Channing Tatum (Step Up, 2006) plays love interest Duke, and he delivers a surprisingly likeable character from his sensitive thug repertoire. Unfortunately, most of the other characters are neither likeable nor funny, from shrill ex-girlfriends to manipulative rivals. My only highlight is Jonathan Sadowski as Paul, Viola’s hairdresser buddy, a character who seems as though he could have come from a slightly better comedy.
This movie could have gone a long way had it focused on clever commentary like Mean Girls (2004), or screwball slapstick like Chicken and Duck Talk (1988), or witty farce, like say, Shakespeare. However, the movie’s greatest weakness is its lack of authenticity, which translates to a lack of insightful humour. The kind of humour that makes you groan and laugh at the same time. The kind of humour that comes from someone who really knows what it’s like to be in high school; what it’s like to be a tomboy in high school; what it’s like to be a tomboy in high school with a secret identity and an even more secret crush on your room mate.
In this way, She’s the Man falls short of wuxia series and far better teen comedies.
And finally, any movie with a kissing booth automatically gets flamed.
Verdict: A high school comedy that doesn’t manage to be insightful or funny.
If you like Baby Mama, you might like this.
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