She's the Man directed by Andy Fickman

She’s the Man directed by Andy Fickman, DreamWorks, 2006.
ASIN: B000FIHN84

Plot Summary

Viola dreams of becoming a professional soccer player but her dreams are crushed when her school, Cornwall, eliminates the women’s soccer team. Confident in her skills, Viola asks the men’s coach to allow the women to try out for the men’s team. After both the coach and her now ex-boyfriend, laugh in her face, Viola hatches a clever plan to not only join rival school Illyria’s team but to show up her boyfriend in the process. With her twin brother Sebastian secretly leaving town to play a gig in London, Viola decides to impersonate him and enroll in Illyria in his place. Realizing that she will need help in this endeavor, she asks her hairdresser friend Paul to transform her from female to male, which he agrees to do. But being a teenage boy proves to be more difficult than Viola imagined as she quickly becomes enamored with her male roommate while his crush, Olivia, develops a crush on her. Add in Sebastian’s suspicious girlfriend, Olivia’s stalker Malcolm, and a kooky principal and Viola soon finds herself with more complications than she can manage. Will she be able to join Illyria’s soccer team, beat Cornwall, and somehow convince her roommate to date her before her true identity is revealed?

Critical Evaluation

I have a confession to make—I love She’s the Man beyond all measure. I still remember my embarrassment as I went to go see the movie on a cheap matinee ticket. I knew it would be silly as the cast trailer continually mentions how hott and sexy everyone is but I didn’t care because talented Amanda Bynes was going to star in a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (157xoxamberxox157, 2007). From the very first moments of the film I knew I had picked a winner. While some may deride the film for its sophomoric character and focus on the physical beauty of the actors, I believe that Viola’s unbelievable transformation and ridiculous lines only serve to make this movie a campy classic.

While there are many excellent characters with humorous lines, the best part of the film is Bynes’ comedic acting as she explores Viola’s interpretation of masculine identity. While her pronounced swagger is certainly amusing, it is her slang that viewers will appreciate the most. Viola’s dialogue is riddled with outdated slang such as ‘wat up?’ ‘you know, bra!’ ‘shweet!’, ‘sup dawg’, and ‘holla at ya boy’. She also says incredibly sexist things to cover up her obvious discomfort. For example, when Viola is sitting at a table full of teenage boys she spots Olivia and shouts, “Check out the bootie on that blondie (Fickman, 2006)! But Viola quickly learns that her swagger and slang will not gain her admittance into the boys’ world. It is only with the help of her friend Paul and her attractive female friends who pretend to lust after her that the boys finally accept her.

While some viewers may feel that Viola’s portrayal of Sebastian is offensive to both males and females, Viola’s acting is understandable as she only has experience with sexist, intolerable men (excepting her hairdresser friend Paul). For example, when she expresses a desire to try out for the men’s soccer team the coach sneers, “Girls aren’t as fast as boys or as strong or as athletic…Girls can’t beat boys, it’s as simple as that” (Fickman, 2006). When she questions her brother as to why he is dating the attractive but cruel Monique he explains, “[s]he’s hott…it’s a guy thing” (Fickman, 2006). Even Viola’s mother cannot understand why Viola breaks up with Justin after he refuses to support her decision to try out for the men’s soccer team. “He’s so handsome and rugged and chiseled and great” Viola’s mother exclaims. So, while Viola’s views on men are grossly skewed (which is partly what makes the film so comedic) it is understandable why she would think that most men only care about physical beauty and male prowess. Of course, the longer Viola stays at Illyria the more she realizes that not all men are callous creatures; in fact, they are usually quite the opposite.

I believe that She’s the Man is either a film that viewers will love or hate as it contains numerous stereotypes and plenty of overacting. However, if a viewer decides to watch the movie with a sense of humor, I think they will not be disappointed.

157xoxamberxox157 (2007, Jan. 7). She’s the man…young hot cast. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXd6jd3-L4

Reader’s Annotation

When Viola’s school soccer team is cut she decides to impersonate her absentee twin brother at his new boarding school in order to join the men’s soccer team. Unfortunately, her plan goes awry as she begins to fall for her roommate and the prettiest girl in school beings to fall for her.

About the Director

“As far as Hollywood bigwigs go, Andy Fickman’s a bit of a goof. His company ‘Oops Doughnuts Production,’ which operates within Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., is brimming with pop tarts, abnormally oversized action figures, piles of scripts and, naturally, bedazzled cell phones and footballs — props from his 2007 box office hit, ‘The Game Plan’. In addition to ‘The Game Plan’, Fickman, the man alternatively known as Randy Flickman (a common mistake), Herr Direcktor and Ficky (but never Mr. Fickman), has directed box office hits such as ‘Race to Witch Mountain’, ‘You Again’ and ‘She’s the Man’” (Gura, 2011).

Fickman lists Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, and Steven Spielberg as some of his favorite directors while he admits to finding smart, witty women irresistible (Gura, 2011). Actress Betty White describes Fickman as “wonderful because he’s just as nutty as the rest of us” (Gura, 2011).

Gura, K. (2011, May 6). ‘Fick’-ing around with director Andy Fickman. The Stanford Daily. Retrieved from http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/05/06/fick-ing-around-with-director-andy-fickman/

Genre

Romantic comedy, Teen flick, Sports

Tags

Gendered identity, masculine, feminine, soccer, boarding school, Twelfth Night, tarantulas, cotillion

Curriculum Ties

This could be used in a unit on gendered identity or in a unit on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Booktalk Ideas

N/A

Reading Level/Interest Level

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th (14-18 yrs.)

Challenge Issues

Because this movie is riddled with gender stereotypes, sexually suggestive situations and some objectionable language it could potentially be challenged. If challenged, librarians should point out that, in the end, not only are gendered stereotypes proven false but the main character is shown to be an intelligent, resourceful heroine. Librarians should also explain the library’s collection policy to would be challengers.

Favorite Quotes

“Sorry Mom, I have a strict no ruffles policy.” –Viola

*****

“Heels are a male invention designed to make a woman’s butt look smaller and to make it harder for them to run away.” –Viola

*****

“He’s not a piece of meat, Olivia. He’s a man…with feelings.” –Viola

*****

“You look like a lady, it’s a miracle.” –Viola’s Mother

“It really is.” –Viola

*****

“Look, no one breaks up over a stupid soccer issue. Can you just be a girl for five seconds, huh?” –Justin

“For five seconds, okay, um, first of all it’s not a stupid soccer issue and you’re a jerk. Oh look at that, times up!” –Viola

Why Was This Included?

I decided to include this movie because I already own it. Watching She’s the Man is one of my guilty pleasures. It’s so ridiculous and terrible that it becomes very entertaining to watch. I also thought it would be interesting to analyze the film as it contains numerous stereotypes.