Review of I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) by Heart C — 27 Dec 2010

Ok, ok. So it's not Chris Columbus' best film. So it's not Harry Potter, The Goonies or Home Alone. But if you sit back and take this movie for what it is, I think you'll be surprised. It's a high school teen movie for the 2000's.

So maybe it doesn't reach the level of John Hughes greatness, but it does well at trying to capture the struggle of high school cliques in the modern era. The stereotypes (nerd, ROTC, Cheerleader, Bully.

.etc) are made larger than life to not only add to the humor, but also the tension. It's easy to see the sappy "deep down we're all the same" motto when the characters are dynamic. Yet when they are static, you find yourself doing what most do their entire lives: label and dismiss.

"I Love You Beth Cooper" may have no other purpose than to remind us that whether you went to Shermer or Ridgemont High in the 80's, Lee or West Michigan High School in the 90's, or Buffalo Glenn High School in the 00's, high school never changes.

Of course, like high school, you can't take this movie too serious. Than again, maybe I'm just bias because Jack Carpenter was in my house.