'SHE'S THE MAN' JUST A LITTLE TOO CUTE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic There's not one believable moment in the Shakespeare-goes-to-soccer-camp tweener Tweener can refer to:
adj. 1. Having qualities or characteristics more often associated with women than men. See Synonyms at female. 2. Characterized by weakness and excessive refinement. Deputy Dawg for the bulk of the movie. "She's the Man" comes from three writers, two of whom - Karen McCullah Lutz Karen McCullah Lutz is an American screenwriter and novelist. McCullah Lutz is a graduate of James Madison University in Virginia. She wrote, with Kirsten Smith, most of the published screenplay. In 2006 she wrote also her first novel The Bachelorette Party. and Kirsten Smith- turned "The Taming of the Shrew shrew, common name for the small, insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae, related to the moles. Shrews include the smallest mammals; the smallest shrews are under 2 in. (5.1 cm) long, excluding the tail, and the largest are about 6 in. (15 cm) long. " into the girl-power celebration "10 Things I Hate About You." Here, they and Ewan Leslie use the Bard's "Twelfth Night" as inspiration, and give us their version of a headstrong head·strong adj. 1. Determined to have one's own way; stubbornly and often recklessly willful. See Synonyms at obstinate, unruly. 2. Resulting from willfulness and obstinacy. , modern teen girl who is forced to disguise herself as a boy in order to fulfill her dreams of being the next Mia Hamm. It's not in the league of "10 Things" (more like six), but you could do worse. To make the team, Viola (Bynes) goes undercover at her twin brother's new boarding school, living in the dorm, hanging with the fellas and suppressing her feminine inclination to share uncool things like feelings and fears. Bynes, wearing a bad wig, couldn't pass for an adolescent boy at the Tiger Beat School of Androgynous an·drog·y·nous adj. 1. Biology Having both female and male characteristics; hermaphroditic. 2. Being neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior. Teen-age Heartthrobs, and her cartoonish take on teen manhood is so bizarre and over the top that you can't help but simultaneously laugh and cover your eyes. But her energy carries the movie, as does an equally spirited supporting cast that includes "Mr. Show's" David Cross playing a freaky freak·y adj. freak·i·er, freak·i·est 1. Strange or unusual; freakish. 2. Slang Frightening. freak principal always out to prove how down he is with the kids, and the great Vinnie Jones as the school's scowling, borderline-hooligan soccer coach. "She's the Man," like "10 Things," is all about shrewd young women and the decent boys who (eventually) love them. Its heart is in the right place, except for its ending, which seems to suggest that all young women, be they smart or athletic, harbor fantasies of being a princess at the ball. When the truth is, all Viola and her soulmate soulmate n → compañero/a del alma really want is to be on the soccer field. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com SHE'S THE MAN - Two and one half stars (PG-13: some sexual material) Starring: Amanda Bynes, David Cross, Vinnie Jones. Director: Andy Fickman. Running time: 1 hr. 45 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: Shakespeare does soccer in this goofy "Twelfth Night" update that gets by on the spunkiness of lead Amanda Bynes and an equally spirited supporting cast. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Amanda Bynes - pictured with Jonathan Sadowski - disguises herself as a boy to visit her brother's boarding school, with romantic complications ensuing, in ``She's the Man.'' |
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