Review of Whatever It Takes (2000) by Alex M — 13 Feb 2004

[size=3][i]Whatever It Takes [/i]is the kind of film that you scratch your head while watching. Not that it is complex, confusing, offensive or in any other way memorable. But it does beg the question: Why was this made? Is it really necessary? The movie is an utterly forgettable retread of a time-tested romantic formula: the two guys who are able to help each other by trading their knowledge of a girl's personality (which include her basics likes and dislikes). Shane West plays a high school nobody who is smitten by the most popular girl in school...but has absolutely no hope of getting her attention. He enlists the help of a handsome jock who is attracted to West's lifelong friend (Marla Sokoloff). The two tell each other what they know about the other's potential love interest, and this results in a series of painfully unfunny scenes involving mix-ups, misunderstandings and manipulation. Their are so many problems with this film it is hard to know where to begin. First, the premise has been beaten to death so often it's very hard to imagine anything fresh or inventive that will make the movie funny. Secondly, the movie has absolutely no concept of the real behaviour of teenagers...it exists in a fantasy-land of stock figures and caricatures. Any filmgoer (or anyone remotely familiar with storytelling in general) will be able to predict the outcome of the movie. If the actors had at least been able to inject some life into their performances, we might have been kept interested. Instead, they're content to look pretty (or handsome) and let the script stand on its own. With a script this bad, that's a fatal error. [i]Whatever It Takes [/i]is not a movie that will make anybody angry, and no doubt some would say that it is just meant to be "escapist entertainment". It is, however, a movie that is competely unnecessary and devoid of humour, humanity, style and substance. It doesn't entertain...it only makes the audience want to escape back into real life.[/size].

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