Nothing about
"Boys and Girls" is very original. The plot is completely ripped-off
from "When Harry Met Sally," and the director even ripped-off
from his own movie, "She's
All That." Do you remember in "She's All That" when the
characters would literally walk into their flashback scenes? It happens
in "Boys and Girls" a couple of times. Also, do you remember during
the prom scene in "She's All That" when everyone does a coordinated
dance number to Fatboy Slim's "The Rockafeller Skank"? Well, "Boys
and Girls" has a coordinated dance number, too. This time, the song
is "Stop the Rock" by Apollo 440.
"She's All That" wasn't a great movie, but it had moments of
brilliance (as well as moments of pure atrocity), and there was great
chemistry between the two leads, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Rachael Leigh
Cook. "Boys and Girls" has the benefit of Freddie Prinze, Jr.,
but instead of Rachael Leigh Cook, his co-star is the beautiful Claire
Forlani, and although they have good chemistry, it's not as good as what
he had with Rachael Leigh Cook. That may be because Claire Forlani is
close to ten years older than Freddie Prinze, Jr. That's not a knock against
Forlani, though. She's a really good actress, and she's absolutely beautiful.
There are a few flashes of her belly, and you see her in a bra, but the
bra shot isn't even a clear one. Oh well. Damn PG-13 rating.
There was a lot about this movie that I could relate to, and more specifically,
I totally related to the character that Freddie Prinze, Jr. played. At
times, it was almost as though I was watching myself on-screen. Then again,
maybe there are things about the movie that EVERYONE can relate to. I
dunno, I can only speak for myself.
I really like Freddie Prinze, Jr. He went a little too over the top when
he had to play it dorky, but he's a very charismatic actor. He's been
doing all he can to earn the role of "Peter Parker" in Sam Raimi's
upcoming "Spider-Man" movie, and I think he's the perfect choice.
Besides, he's a comic book geek in real-life, especially the Spidey comics,
and that's exactly the kinda person who I feel deserves the role. Rumor
has it that he even passed on the role of "Cyclops" in the upcoming
"X-Men" movie in order to improve his chances of being cast
in "Spider-Man." I really hope he gets the job. Besides, the
guy's left-handed. That may mean nothing to most of you, but see, I'm
a lefty myself, and there are very few of us out there. I feel a special
kinda bond with all the other lefties around the world.
None of
you care about any of this, huh?
So anyway, Freddie Prinze, Jr. is very good in the movie, and so is Claire
Forlani (damn, she's beautiful). In case you don't know who Claire Forlani
is, she's the hottie in "Mallrats," Brad Pitt's hottie in "Meet
Joe Black," and the hottie waitress in "Mystery
Men." Jason Biggs (the guy who makes love to baked goods in the
hilarious "American
Pie"), whose role is that of the funny roommate, does his job well.
That Jason Biggs is a funny guy. Amanda Detmer's role is the female version
of the funny roommate, and she's as good as Jason Biggs. I liked her cute,
peppy performance. Also in the movie is Heather Donahue. You may remember
her as, well, "Heather Donahue" in "The
Blair Witch Project." That's right folks, she's still alive. Her
role in this movie is surprisingly small, but she does great with it. I
hope to see more of her in the future, she's an excellent actress. Some
of you may not know this, but Alyson Hannigan ("Willow" in the
TV show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") has a small role in the movie.
I don't think she has more than three lines. She looks really cute in this
movie, with her funky glasses and short hair.
"Boys and Girls" was written by Andrew Lowery & Andrew Miller
(they're listed as "The Drews" in the credits). They've done
some acting, but nothing major. They helped write the Dennis Rodman flop,
"Simon Sez." I never saw it, but that's okay because no one
else did either. The little that I DID hear about the movie was very,
very, very bad. As for THIS script, well, it ain't so good, and way too
corny. However, some of the dialogue is really clever, and I like the
bluntness of Claire Forlani's character. By the way, have I mentioned
how beautiful Claire Forlani is?
Anyway...
Although
the movie
is generally predictable, there are a few genuine surprises. I coulda
done without some of the needless symbolism, though. The director was
Robert Iscove, and as I'd mentioned earlier, he also directed "She's
All That." He's not a bad director, but he has a very distinct style
that would seem to appeal to younger viewers. All I gotta say is, if his
next movie has another coordinated dance number, I'm walkin' out.
Unfortunately, "Boys and Girls" earns it's PG-13 rating. As
a matter of fact, the semi-risque part that you saw in the commercials
("Have you ever been with four girls before?") is cut from the
movie!
A little nudity woulda been nice. I mean, come on! The movie is set in
college, not Sweet Valley High!
So there you
have it. Once again, a disappointing movie is saved by great performances
by the actors and actresses, and a few bright spots in an otherwise lame
script. Happens a lot, I notice. Young teenage girls will probably love
this movie, though.