Barnes & Noble

To better appreciate this winning romantic comedy, viewers may want to brush up not only on their Shakespeare (Twelfth Night) but also on the 1985 comedy Just One of the Guys. Amanda Bynes (What a Girl Wants) scores as Viola, whose day goes from bad to worse when her high school cuts the girl's soccer program and she is denied a tryout for the boy's team. As her twin brother, Sebastian, an aspiring rocker, tells her before secretly heading off to London to enter a music festival, "If you want to chase your dreams, sometimes you gotta break the rules." So Viola undergoes an extreme makeover as a boy, assumes Sebastian's identity at his new boarding school, and tries out for the soccer team to take revenge on her alma mater and her sexist jerk of a boyfriend, who doesn't think she could or should compete. Inevitable romantic complications ensue when Viola/Sebastian falls for her roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum), the team's star player, and Duke's unrequited crush, Olivia (Laura Ramsey), falls for Viola's Sebastian. Bynes may have yet to be truly tested as an actress, but she is exceedingly likable and a totally charming and natural comedian. This is not your Amanda Show Amanda: The PG-13-rated She's the Man contains mild profanities, a restaurant scene in which Viola/Sebastian tries to pump up his playa-cred for his skeptical teammates, and a silly bit with a discovered box of tampons, not to mention close calls in the shower. Extra points for David Cross (Arrested Development) as Sebastian's clueless and overly solicitous headmaster, and Julie Hagerty (Airplane) as Viola's mother, who pushes her daughter to give up soccer and become a debutante. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

A simple case of assumed identity snowballs into a romantic mix-up of epic proportions in director Andy Fickman's contemporary teen take on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) has good reason for wanting to conceal her identity upon arriving at Illyria Prep school, and with her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) skirting school in an attempt to break into the London music scene, Viola sees her sibling's well-timed absence as the perfect opportunity to assume his identity. When Viola is assigned a shared dorm room with campus cool guy Duke (Channing Tatum), her façade slowly begins to crumble as she begins harboring a deep-rooted crush on her unsuspecting new roommate. The situation begins to take a turn for the worse, however, when Duke reveals his affection towards campus knockout Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who in turn seems increasingly drawn toward the sensitive imposter known as Sebastian. The problem is, the real Sebastian has decided to cut his London trip short, and upon arriving on campus two days earlier than expected, Viola's elaborately executed ruse hits an unexpected hitch that sends the entire situation spiraling into chaos. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 097360822045
• Source: DREAMWORKS VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled
• Time: 1:45:00
• Sales Rank: 19,395

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Girls Rule Collection

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