By Hiba Nawaid ’23 and Anika Singh ’24
Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ‘24
Staff Writers
Netflix’s recent remake of the classic romance film “She’s All That,” titled “He’s All That,” is a modern spin on the original coming-of-age movie. The motion picture, starring Tik Tok-er Addison Rae, falls short, banking less on its cast’s acting abilities and more on their internet fame. With a lackluster script and direction from Mark Waters, the Netflix original proves to be just an awkward spoof of the hit ‘90s film it is inspired by, and, ultimately, is unnecessary.
Rae stars as a bubbly influencer named Padgett Sawyer. Actor Tanner Buchanan plays opposite her, taking on the role of an outsider-turned-heartthrob, Cameron Kweller. The film follows the plot of “She’s All That,” in which a popular male character takes a bet and attempts to transform the most simple and “hopeless” girl — in terms of high school social status — into prom queen. “He’s All That” presents a gender swap of the characters, as Padgett tries to beautify the school’s resident loner, Cameron.
Waters, who directed the 2000s teen classics “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls,” misses the mark with this reimagining of “She’s All That.” Those in front of the camera miss the mark as well as the majority of the main cast gives consistently underwhelming performances. In his re-imagined role, Buchanan is no Rachel Leigh Cook, the actress who played the made-over main character, Laney Boggs, in the original. Meanwhile, Rae struggles to maintain a convincingly authentic performance in scenes that should be more hard-hitting. In the film, she fails to present enough emotion and enthusiasm to make the audience care for her character. Whether it involves a rather public and embarrassing break up with her boyfriend, or the autotuned cover of Katy Perry’s hit song “Teenage Dream,” Rae does not provide a convincing performance.
The poorly-constructed dialogue doesn’t offer the actors any help in delivering an authentic performance. In one particularly egregious scene, Cameron’s sister says if she wasn’t related to him she’d think he’s hot. The half-baked writing, especially when combined with the unnecessary FaceTime cameos from celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian, fails to immerse its audience in the film. The film just barely holds itself together with a semblance of nostalgia and the type of secondhand embarrassment that obliges audience members to laugh out of discomfort.
The script features a visible effort to reimagine the plot of “She’s All That” for a 2021 audience. However, instead of addressing the underlying misogyny of its predecessor, “He’s All That” objectifies its male lead.
The film’s cinematography is also monotonous, evidenced by shaky camerawork and unimaginative visual storytelling on the part of cinematographer John Guleserian, who uses tried-and-tested camera angles that do not add any flavor to the film.
“He’s All That” seems to have the budget — around $20 million — to be a finely produced film, but lacks quality execution. It’s as if the producers were under the assumption that featuring Rae and cast members from “She’s All That” would garner enough social media attention — good and bad — to encourage individuals to see the film.
Despite its long list of flaws, “He’s All That” does a few things right. Though it’s not much, viewers do see some queer representation in the film. The lesbian couple, Quinn (Myra Molloy) and Nisha (Annie Jacob), adds a breath of fresh air, but are never given enough screen time to receive full character arcs.
Cook, who plays one of the main characters in “She’s All That,” takes on the role of Padgett’s mother in the new film. But, despite a decent performance, her feature is hollow. It’s disheartening to see her participate in a movie that diminishes the already tenuous legacy of “She’s All That,” which will likely age all the more poorly because of the association with this remake.
The comedy the film offers is even more disheartening. “She’s All That,” despite having thinly-veiled misogynistic jokes, reached the young adult audience of its time and had moments of comedic success. “He’s All That” offers the same energy as a 50-year-old cisgender white man trying and failing to relate to Gen Z. The jokes regarding social media feel like a misplaced attempt at youth-driven humor, and, as a result, often fall flat.
The terrible comedy, superfluous casting and clichéd plot make “He’s All That” a cash-grabbing, overhyped film production that seems to aim solely to launch Rae’s career into mainstream stardom. If this transition was its main goal, then perhaps it worked. Despite dismayed reviews from critics, evidenced by a 31 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Rae has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. Variety cited the deal as a result of the success of “He’s All That” in the United States. “Getting the opportunity to work with Netflix was such a pinch-me moment and now to be able to continue the relationship is beyond my wildest dreams,” Rae said in an interview with the media company.