Is She the Man?
Andy Fickman’s She’s the Man is the perfect movie to watch if you love a fabulous film featuring young love with a mix of comedy. The entire movie has a light-hearted undertone making it particularly easy to enjoy. If you enjoyed the feel-good romance of Fickman’s Just My Luck or You Again, I promise you that you will fall in love with She’s the Man. It’s the kind of movie that captivates you into wanting the characters to end up together. She’s the Man differs from Just My Luck and You Again, though. Sure, it has many of the aspects of Fickman’s other films along with basically every romantic comedy — girl meets boy, girl likes boy, and they end up together. The way She’s the Man goes about is very unique considering the main female character (Amanda Bynes) pretends to be a boy for the majority of the film. The script contains funny one-liners that keep the movie light and lovable. The love in this movie is simple and cute — everyone is sure to fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other.
Viola has a complete makeover — sideburns, wig, and everything. Imagine Amanda Bynes’ as a boy — not very believable. With her petite stature and baby face, she looks like an incredibly feminine boy next to all of the tall, muscular soccer boys — including a twenty-six-year-old Channing Tatum. When I was younger and would watch She’s the Man, Tatum seemed to fit in as a high school student just fine, but now having graduated high school I realize that he is probably the most mature and muscular looking “eighteen-year-old” I’ve ever seen. As I watched the film, I couldn’t help but be annoyed at how no one thought something was up. Even Viola’s roommate, Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum) doesn’t catch on to anything. It is similar to the feeling many people get when watching Titanic, because everyone knows that Jack could also fit on the wood Rose was floating on, but no one in the movie seemed to believe it. Likewise, it is very obvious that if She’s the Man were in real life, Viola wouldn’t have lasted a day pretending to be a boy. Viola does have a few slip-ups that keep the movie entertaining. She often forgets to talk in her “boy” voice, she has a girly ringtone, and she is not able to play shirts and skins at soccer practice because she’s “allergic to the sun.”
Fickman did a terrific job of casting. Amanda Bynes is the perfect role for Viola/Sebastian. Her feminine features make it hilarious that she is playing a boy for the majority of the film. It reminds me of Tom Cruise in Hairspray. In my opinion, Cruise was a much more believable girl than Bynes was a boy, but maybe that’s what makes the movie funny. Another perfect casting choice is Channing Tatum. The majority female audience viewing She’s the Man would — in my opinion — most likely prefer to see a tall and tan Tatum play the popular, athletic soccer player than a scrawny high school student.
Overall, I would give the movie a 10/10, because it never gets old and every aspect of it is amazing. The music in every scene is perfect. The song that always sticks out to me when I watch it is “How Far We’ve Come” by Matchbox Twenty. The song plays when they are playing soccer at the end. Its upbeat and fun nature leaves the movie on an exciting note. She’s the Man is one of my go-to movies when I don’t know what else to watch, and it could be one of yours if you give it a watch!
