Review of She's the Man (2006) by Andrea S — 24 Apr 2018

She's the Man, directed by Andy Fickman, a Shakespeare-based, high school Rom Com, absolutely outshines rest of the Bard of Avon's adaptions, such as Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You.

She's The Man modernizes a timeless story for a new audience to understand and enjoy. While some critics say that the silly, zany nature of the movie strips it of Shakespeare's original wit and style, I instead argue that it only amplifies how the original audience of Twelfth Night would have enjoyed the story.

Shakespeare did not write his comedies for aristocrats and scholars, as many literary critics seem to pride themselves on, but for the common people for everyone to laugh at. I applaud the creators for rewriting the script to make this hilarious story accessible to a modern generation and enjoyed the way it was meant to be: as a wild, unbelievable adventure that you are supposed to find absurd.

Shipwrecked twins Viola and Sebastian are placed in a modern world with motivations we can understand, as high school athlete Viola disguises herself as her brother to prove she can play soccer as well as the boys.

We can recognize the royal Duke Orsino as popular jock Duke Orsino, wealthy widow Olivia as out-of-your-league Olivia Lennox, and steward Malvolio as, well, a tarantula named Malvolio, an agent of negative change.

Antics ensue in trying to the hide Viola's real identity, creating jokes out of the gender binary and how far people go to impress the person they have fallen for. Amanda Bynes stars in the role of Viola (who stars in the role of Sebastian, of course).

The actual idea of her not being caught in her wig, male "accent", and comically small frame are past the audience, and as such we can just enjoy her antics and her supporting characters reactions.

From the classic tampon-nosebleed joke, to the love triangle between her, Duke, and Olivia, to the slapstick moment of kids rejecting her high-five while she hypes herself up to be Sebastian, have myself and audiences laughing time after time.

Her interactions with Channing Tatum's Duke even allow the genre to make fun of itself. Using a Viola's inside view of popular rom-com-guy archetype, there is comedy made in Duke's flirting mess ups, bafflement with femininity, and trying-to-be-cool flip phone tricks.

These new depictions and narratives also turned an old story into a feminist one. The renovation of Shakespeare's Viola takes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl by the horns with a female lead chasing athletic equality and empowerment, and her love interest through comically timed, sneaky pursuits.

Especially compared to other Shakespeare adaptions, and even originals, with shallow and/or eventually dead females, I once again applaud the writers of this movie for adapting it as one with an energetic, hilarious female lead, poking fun at gender norms and toxic masculinity throughout.

Overall, She's the Man is a fantastic movie, expertly adapted for a modern audience, guaranteeing laughter and applause.