In this high school female revenge comedy, the titular serial dater-and-dumper jock is targeted by a trio of coeds he's jilted. When the gals' initial efforts to undermine John Tucker's popularity fail, they opt to make him fall for a plain Jane whom they transform into a seductive beauty—after which she will reject him and destroy his ego. It's all very formulaic, silly, and even slightly seedy, but works better here than you might expect thanks to a winning cast and sprightly rhythm. The handsome philanderer is played by Jesse Metcalfe (the amorous lawn boy of Desperate Housewives), who may be implausibly short for a star basketball player but definitely has the charm, while the nondescript girl chosen to break his heart is portrayed by Brittany Snow, who's cheekily likable. Unfortunately, they're hamstrung by Jeff Lowell's script, which—despite a few amusing episodes—has both a sitcom feel and more than a little frat-boy crassness, at least until the end, when everybody learns important life lessons. While director Betty Thomas' John Tucker Must Die can't quite make up its mind whether to be Mean Girls or Sixteen Candles, it's sure to be a popular choice for slumber parties, and is preferable to many of the alternatives. Optional. [Note: DVD extras on this dual-sided disc—featuring both the widescreen and full screen versions and the theatrical and extended cuts—include audio commentary by director Betty Thomas and editor Matthew Friedman, a “Grrrl Power” featurette (5 min.), a “Cutting Class with Jesse Metcalfe” set tour (4 min.), a “Kodiak Yearbook” featurette (4 min.), a “Dating Quiz” segment (3 min.), an “On the Rebound” basketball featurette (2 min.), two deleted scenes with optional commentary, a music video of “Instantly Gratified” by People in Planes, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven comedy.] (F. Swietek)
John Tucker Must Die
Fox, 90 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Nov. 14 Volume 21, Issue 5
John Tucker Must Die
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: