She's the Man

Ordinarily, filmmakers shouldn't go to the same well twice, but the writers who found success back in 1999 transforming Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew into 10 Things I Hate About You pull off a similar success in this takeoff on Twelfth Night. Although it will never be confused with great art, director Andy Fickman's She's the Man cleverly transposes the Bard's gender-bending template into teen-comedy terms, with mostly likable characters and generally amusing dialogue. The linchpin of the revised plot is soccer: Viola (Amanda Bynes), upset when the girls' team is disbanded at her school, decides to impersonate her twin brother Sebastian on a rival campus in order to win a spot on the boys' squad there and help beat her school in an upcoming game. Of course, romantic complications follow: Viola is attracted to “his” hunky new roommate, who's interested in the campus princess, who in turn has her eye on the false Sebastian. And that's only the beginning of the confusion. To be sure, She's the Man never remotely persuades us that Bynes could be mistaken for a fellow, and some of the obligatory cross-dressing slapstick grows tiresome, but despite occasional stumbles it's brighter and quicker on its feet than most teen flicks. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include three audio commentaries (one by star Amanda Bynes, director Andy Fickman, writer-producer Ewan “Jack” Leslie, costars Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Hoffman, and Alex Brekenridge; another by Leslie and producer Lauren Shuler Donner; and a “Shakespeare, Soccer, and Such” trivia track), the 15-minute “Making the Man” featurette, nine deleted scenes with optional commentary (11 min.), the eight-minute “The Troupe” cast and crew featurette, a five-minute “Inspired by Shakespeare's…” featurette, a four-minute gag reel, a cast photo album, the music video “Let Go” by Dave Lichens, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid film.] (F. Swietek)