He’s All That Review: Netflix’s She’s All That Remake Tops Original

In an entertainment ecosystem rife with reboots and remakes, a revamp of the 1999 romantic comedy She is all that, now starring TikTok celebrity Addison Rae, looks like one more entry into the vast sea. But the Netflix remake He is all that gloriously defies all expectations. Given by Mark Waters (Bad Girls, 2003 Strange friday) and with a script by R. Lee Fleming Jr., the screenwriter behind the original film, He is all that is one of the best high school rom-coms in recent history. Use the old movie makeover template to create a romantic story that hits all the satisfying beats, turning them into something refreshing … and actually better than the original movie.

[Ed.note: This post contains slight spoilers for He’s All That.]

On She is all that Class president and popular kid Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) accepts a bet to turn Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) artistic and antisocial into Prom Queen. It’s a modern update on Pygmalion and My beautiful lady. He is all that updates the formula again for 2021, following makeover influencer and high school senior Padgett (Addison Rae), whose devastating breakup is accidentally streamed live over the internet, turning her into an unappealing meme. With her social credibility and the fate of her sponsorship of the Bunny Venom makeup brand floating in the air, she takes a bet with an enemy friend: turn a loser into Prom King, or be branded a loser herself.

Winning the bet promises to boost Padgett’s status in his high school ranks, and it will also show Bunny Venom (led by Kourtney Kardashian, basically playing herself) that she still has the social clout to make the company’s support. worth it. The loser in question? The antisocial Cameron (Tanner Buchanan), who would rather complain and take pictures of trash than make friends.

As with the original, through a series of trial and error, the two manage to get along and become friends, which eventually leads to something else. The great beats of history are pretty much the same, but updated to reflect not just gender changes, but more modern sensibilities as well. Padgett’s pressure to succeed, for example, comes from the fact that his endorsements help pay his single mother’s bills and allow her to save for college tuition. When Cameron inevitably runs away from a big party, it’s not because he was humiliated by Padgett’s ex, like in the original, but because the bastard stalked Cameron’s little sister.

Waters puts less emphasis on objectifying women’s bodies, an issue that really plagued the original, where boys repeatedly talked about the quality of female students’ “boobs,” and Laney proved her worth to popular girls by donning a suit. tight swimwear. . Instead of, He is all that focuses on Padgett’s taste: the idea of ​​warming up Cameron has less to do with increasing his physical appearance (although he does cut his hair to fix his scruffy look), and more to do with tapping into the parts of his personality that he keeps buried under its rough exterior.

Included are some specific nods to the original for fans, such as certain musical cues and familiar actors returning in new roles, as well as the unnecessarily long dance sequence towards the end. But the references don’t feel like constant complacency, because the movie can stand on its own without referencing the original. The structure itself isn’t new, but it’s satisfying and easily lends itself to unexpected crushes, romantic misunderstandings, and eventual third-act repairs that make rom-coms alluring.

It also helps that both Padgett and Cameron, despite their initially unsavory exteriors, end up being interesting and lovable characters. Padgett in particular is relentlessly nice, constantly giving people the benefit of the doubt and spreading his good grace in a way that is rare for a character posited as a popular queen bee. Meanwhile, Cameron has been designed to be the perfect teenage heartthrob: bristly at first, but with a soft spot for his little sister and also for horses. His love of horses ends up leading to some scenes straight from the diary entry of a desperate romantic teenager, and because he was a plot element from the beginning, he puts the story together beautifully.

The Netflix remake improves on a key component of the original movie: the biggest problem with She is all that is that Laney and Zack don’t have enough one-on-one interactions to elicit anything beyond physical attraction. But in He is all that, Padgett and Cameron actually spend time together, creating a slow but steady relationship and bonding outside of large group settings. The longing looks, giggles, and genuine connection build into throbbing anticipation, so that when Padgett and Cameron share their first nervous kiss, their chemistry explodes. Padgett’s consistent and radiant personality slowly passes past Cameron’s grumpy exterior as he inspires her to be more true to herself. Rae’s acting may be a bit stiff, but Buchanan is charming enough to persuade her.

Romantic comedies often follow the same formulas, and certainly a remake of a classic high school rom-com, itself a modern trend in Pygmalion – will emulate the same rhythms. But that’s not bad. When done right, the familiar plot rhythms are satisfying, especially when given small adjustments to take into account the new characters and settings. Also, the appeal of a romantic comedy is not unexpected plot twists or big surprises – it comes from the relationship between the leads, which generates its own kind of anticipation.. He is all that creates a satisfying romance where both parties grow and learn from each other. At the end of most rom-coms, the pair reunite with a final big kiss, and in He is all that, that moment still comes with nervousness and anticipation, even if it was always a fact.

He is all that will be out on Netflix on August 27.