She's the Man (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Andy Fickman

Writers (WGA):

Ewan Leslie (screenplay) and
Karen McCullah Lutz (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 March 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

If you wanna chase your dream, sometimes you gotta break the rules.

Plot:

When her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks in London, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguises herself as him, and proceeds to fall for one of her soccer teammates. Little does she realize she's not the only one with romantic troubles, as she, as he, gets in the middle of a series of intermingled love affairs.

Plot Keywords:

Soccer | School | Twin | London | Roommate

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Amanda Bynes	...	Viola
Channing Tatum	...	Duke
Laura Ramsey	...	Olivia
Vinnie Jones	...	Dinklage
David Cross	...	Gold
Julie Hagerty	...	Daphne
Robert Hoffman	...	Justin
Alexandra Breckenridge	...	Monique (as Alex Breckenridge)
Jonathan Sadowski	...	Paul
Amanda Crew	...	Kia
Jessica Lucas	...	Yvonne
Brandon Jay McLaren	...	Toby
Clifton MaCabe Murray	...	Andrew (as Clifton Murray)
James Snyder	...	Malcolm
James Kirk	...	Sebastian
Emily Perkins	...	Eunice
Robert Torti	...	Pistonek
Lynda Boyd	...	Cheryl
John Pyper-Ferguson	...	Roger (as John Pyper Ferguson)
Katie Stuart	...	Maria
Colby Wilson	...	Potensky
Jeffrey Ballard	...	Donner (as Jeff Ballard)
Brenda McDonald	...	Old Lady in Beauty Parlor
Patricia Idlette	...	Science Teacher
Ken Kirby	...	Announcer
Alberto Ghisi	...	9 Year Old Boy
David Richmond-Peck	...	Referee (as David Richmond Peck)
Mark Acheson	...	Groundskeeper
Dee Jay Jackson	...	Cab Driver
Debbie Timuss	...	Cheerleader
Michelle Brownlee	...	Cheerleader
Mara Branscombe	...	Cheerleader
Katharine Horsman	...	Cheerleader
Melissa Robertson	...	Cheerleader
Alex Price	...	Cheerleader
Natasha Gorrie	...	Cheerleader
Deena Minichiello	...	Cheerleader
Barbara Kottmeier	...	Passing Girl
Chad Krowchuk	...	Guy at School
Cassandra Sawtell	...	Tilt-a-Whirl Girl
Michelle Grigor	...	Terrified Child
Stuart Cowan	...	Tall Nerdy Guy
Aaron Young	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Justin Carvery	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Andrew Hutson	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Luca Bellisome	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Giovanni Valente	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Ivan Estrada	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Glen Krizek	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Evan Turner	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Daniel Rogic	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Alvaro Picado	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team
Brady Horvath	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Ryan Horvath	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
C.J. Greenside	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Devon Greenside	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Chris D'Andrea	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Meysam Soltani	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Struan Saddler	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Andrew Reed	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Luke Moger	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Riyad Zuber	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Jason Mosberian	...	Cornwall Boys Soccer Team
Sofia Hildalgo	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
Deena Sparling	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
Melissa Howard	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
Nicola Elbro	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
Carly Barkley	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
Shannon McDonald	...	Cornwall Girls Soccer Team
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daniel Colletti	...	Illyria Boys Soccer Team (uncredited)
Sandra-Jessica Couturier	...	Visitors Coach's Daughter (uncredited)
Michael Kozak	...	Soccer Player (uncredited)
Duncan Pattillo	...	Businessman on the Phone (uncredited)
Tania Saulnier	...	Kissing Girl (uncredited)
Adrianna Spence	...	Screaming Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Andy Fickman

Writing credits (WGA)
Ewan Leslie		(screenplay) and
Karen McCullah Lutz		(screenplay) &
Kirsten Smith		(screenplay)
Ewan Leslie		(story)

Produced by
Marty P. Ewing	....	executive producer (as Marty Ewing)
Ewan Leslie	....	producer
Gary Lucchesi	....	executive producer
Tom Rosenberg	....	executive producer
Lauren Shuler Donner	....	producer

Original Music by
Nathan Wang

Cinematography by
Greg Gardiner

Film Editing by
Michael Jablow

Casting by
Sarah Finn
Randi Hiller

Production Design by
David J. Bomba

Art Direction by
John Burke
John R. Jensen

Set Decoration by
Dominique Fauquet-Lemaitre

Costume Design by
Katia Stano

Makeup Department
Gitte Axen	....	assistant makeup artist
Susan Boyd	....	assistant hair stylist
Rosalina Da Silva	....	key makeup artist
Thom MacIntyre	....	key hair stylist (as Thom McIntyre)
Nina Paskowitz	....	hair stylist: Ms. Bynes
Peter Robb-King	....	makeup artist: Ms. Bynes
Rebecca Lee	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Tamar Ouziel	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Carole Simcox	....	day-check makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Wayne Bennett	....	production manager
Mark Graziano	....	post-production supervisor
Drew Locke	....	production manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrice Leung	....	first assistant director
Gordon Piper	....	trainee assistant director
Tracey Poirier	....	key second assistant director
Cabral Rock	....	third assistant director
Alexander Witt	....	second unit director

Art Department
Michael A. Billings	....	set dresser
Jason Claridge	....	head paint foreman
Lee Anne Elaschuk	....	graphic artist
Andrew Glavina	....	signwriter
Scott Holburn	....	set dresser
Herminio Kam	....	paint coordinator
John Marcynuk	....	set designer
J.J. Mestinsek	....	scenic artist
David Perun	....	property master
Chris Sneddon	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Richard L. Anderson	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Binder	....	sound designer
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mike Chock	....	sound editor
Jeff Gomillion	....	adr mixer
Catherine Harper	....	foley artist
Michael Hibberson	....	boom operator
Bob Holbrook	....	boom operator: second unit
Andy Koyama	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Lee	....	sound effects editor
Darrin Mann	....	foley mixer
Bill Meadows	....	sound recordist
Josephine Nericcio	....	first assistant sound editor
Ralph Osborn	....	additional dialogue
Ralph Osborn	....	adr editor
Philip Rogers	....	adr recordist
Toby Rosen	....	sound intern
Karen Schell	....	sound
David A. Whittaker	....	sound editor
David Williams	....	dialog editor
Rob Young	....	production sound mixer
Oscar Mitt	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lars Lenander	....	special effects coordinator
Lars Lenander	....	special effects director
Ken Reynolds	....	special effects best boy

Visual Effects by
Simon Ager	....	digital compositing artist
Lee Allan	....	digital compositor
Geeta Basantani	....	digital compositor
Riley Benard	....	lead rotoscope artist: Rainmaker
Riley Benard	....	lead tracking artist: Rainmaker
Nicholas Boughen	....	visual effects consultant
Mark Breakspear	....	visual effects supervisor
Shauna Bryan	....	senior visual effects producer
Jose Burgos	....	visual effects
Ashley Clark	....	visual effects producer
Kristin Dearholt	....	digital production manager
Paul Furminger	....	visual effects editor
Brian Hanable	....	digital effects compositor: Pacific Title
Peter Hart	....	rotoscope artist
Peter Hunt	....	digital compositor: Rainmaker
Marta Knapik	....	visual effects coordinator
Bartek Kujbida	....	digital artist: Rainmaker Animation & Visual Effects
Colin Liggett	....	digital compositor
Ryan Mintenko	....	digital effects artist
Jim O'Hagan	....	digital compositor: Pacific Title
Christine Petrov	....	lead compositor
Lee Pierce	....	compositor
Eric Ponton	....	digital compositor
Madhava Reddy	....	visual effects
Trevor Strand	....	digital compositor
Tomaso Tartarotti	....	digital compositor
Antonio Torres	....	digital artist: Pacific Title
Paul Wiens	....	rotoscope artist

Stunts
Shawn Beaton	....	utility stunts
Claude Bouchard	....	key stunt rigger
Clint Carleton	....	stunt rider: jet ski guy
Laura Lee Connery	....	stunts
Ashlea Earl	....	stunt double: Alex Breckenridge
Marny Eng	....	stunt coordinator
Christopher Gordon	....	stunts
Adrian Hein	....	stunts
Trevor Jones	....	stunt actor (Soccer Player)
Dave Lane	....	stunt rigger
Jennifer Mylrea	....	stunt double: Amanda Bynes
Gerald Paetz	....	stunts
Jeffrey C. Robinson	....	stunt double
Sharon Simms	....	stunt double: Amanda Bynes

Camera and Electrical Department
Artino Ahmadi	....	camera loader
Ronald Hersey	....	director of photography: second unit
Cory Hodson	....	rigging gaffer
Junichi Hosoi	....	Steadicam operator
Junichi Hosoi	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Rob McEwan	....	still photographer
Nicholas McKenzie	....	daily first assistant camera
Tony Mirza	....	camera operator: second unit
Jessica Moskal	....	focus puller: second camera
Andrew Pedley	....	video assist operator: second unit
Jason Tidsbury	....	light balloon technician
David Kohler	....	lamp operator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Johnny Wong	....	animator: main title animation
Hiroshi Endo	....	title animator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Heike Brandstatter	....	additional casting
Tamara Hunter	....	casting associate
Coreen Mayrs	....	additional casting
James Moore	....	casting assistant
Dylan Staniforth	....	extras casting wrangler (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carolyn Bentley	....	key costumer
Summer Dietz	....	costumer
Debra Torpe	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Carolle Alain	....	assistant editor
Paul Bronkar	....	digital intermediate sequence colorist
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Tom Hanada	....	post-production assistant
Andrew Lee	....	post-production assistant
Heather Mullen	....	first assistant editor
Lee Wimer	....	color timer

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	conductor
Brent Brooks	....	music editor
Gary Chase	....	composer: additional music
Gary Chase	....	orchestrator
Mark Graham	....	music preparation
Benoit Grey	....	score proofreader
Jennifer Hawks	....	music supervisor
Joel Iwataki	....	music score mixer
Milton Nelson	....	orchestrator
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation

Transportation Department
David Halliday	....	transportation captain
John O'Toole	....	transportation coordinator
Don Stenstrom	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Lori Beth Bernat	....	assistant: Mr. Fickman
Jennifer Berry	....	lead stand-in
Sophie Brodovitch	....	assistant: Mr. Fickman
Michelle Brownlee	....	cheerleading choreographer
Maureen Caine	....	assistant: Mr. Ewing
Shawn Campbell	....	production assistant
Ian Carrington	....	football coordinator
Evan Chan	....	production assistant
Bob Corff	....	dialect coach
Jack Dubnicek	....	assistant: Mr Leslie
Janet Glowa	....	second assistant production coordinator
Brenna Graziano	....	adr loop group
Christopher J. Green	....	assistant accountant
Jamie Hendry	....	assistant: Ms Bynes
Carla Dawn Jackson	....	production assistant
Peter Lapres	....	first assistant production coordinator
Kathy Liska	....	assistant: Ms. Shuler Donner
Frankie Malhotra	....	production assistant
Dan Metcalfe	....	soccer choreographer
Darin Mickelson	....	production assistant
Steven R. Molen	....	production executive
Moira Perlmutter	....	production coordinator
Bobby Sabelhaus	....	assistant: Ms. Shuler Donner
William Shakespeare	....	inspired by the play "Twelfth Night"
Chris Smith	....	key production assistant
Dylan Staniforth	....	production assistant
Mike Trimble	....	production assistant
Alison Wells	....	unit publicist
Linda Yip	....	assistant location manager
Garson Yu	....	title designer
Tiffany Mak	....	production assistant (uncredited) (2006)

Production Companies

• DreamWorks SKG
• Lakeshore Entertainment
• Donners' Company

Distributors

• DreamWorks SKG (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2005) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Kye Films (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Paradise Group (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Pioneer Films (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2006) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2006) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Imagem Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• PlazaVista Entertainment (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL5)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (opticals)
• Rainmaker Animation & Visual Effects (visual effects)
• Pacific Title and Art Studio (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Finn-Hiller Casting  casting
• Hollywood Camera  additional camera
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Orbit Digital  Avids / HD services
• Pivotal Post  HD services
• Video Split Productions  video assist equipment
• yU+Co.  titles

Also Known As:

Dude Looks Like a Lady (USA) (working title)
L'homme c'est elle (Canada: French title)
Walk Like a Man, Talk Like a Man (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual material

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:12A | Ireland:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate no. 42397) | Malaysia:U | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | Philippines:PG-13 | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Granville Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

According to the audio commentary on the DVD, the opening to the movie was shot on the coldest day of June in the history of Vancouver.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Olivia is talking to Duke in the weight room she says 225, and we see her say it, but then the camera moves behind her and we can see her mouth the word five but don't hear it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Justin: Oh! She shoots, she scores! Goal!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Starz Inside: Fashion in Film (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Good Girl, Bad Boy

Bynes and Company Score a Hat Trick

Though I hate to admit it, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith have scored again. "She's the Man" is a ridiculous but ultimately entertaining teen movie which takes the gender-bending action of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and drops it in the middle of a modern-day American boarding school. The premise should sound familiar because screenwriters Lutz and Smith also penned "10 Things I Hate About You," another twist on Shakespeare, starring the likes of Julia Styles and Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger (before he was an Academy Award nominee).

It's more of the same, of course, but seeing Shakespeare's work go Hollywood, and, thus, be ripped to shreds, continues to amuse. "She's the Man" also focuses on a decidedly less bitter heroine than the shrew, Katarina, played in 1999 by a very stilted Styles. If that makes the film less witty, who cares? Not half of this film's target audience, who came mostly to see Channing Tatum with his shirt off.

Like Kat in "10 Things," Viola (Amanda Bynes) is a tomboy and a soccer star on the women's team at Cornwall Prep. Her life is soccer, which becomes a problem when her school cuts the women from the sports program. Better than most of the boys, Viola wants to suit up with them but is snubbed by both the coach and the team's captain – her boyfriend. So it's "end of discussion … end of relationship." Viola hatches a plan to pursue her sporting dreams at rival school Illyria, where her twin brother has just enrolled. Twin brother, Sebastian, is skipping off to England for two weeks and nobody at Illyria has ever met him.

If you missed the set up, read "Twelfth Night." It's pretty obvious what happens from here. Viola disguises herself as her brother and moves into the dorms where she meets her roommate and fellow soccer player Duke (Channing Tatum). She begins to gear up for Illyria's season opener against Cornwall and has to navigate a complicated love-triangle, in addition to other challenges like taking a shower alongside her male teammates, without them finding out about her girl parts.

In reality, nobody who looks like Bynes could get away with impersonating a 17 year-old male. Viola is too pretty to be a boy; in other words, dressed as her brother, she makes Orlando Bloom look like a frost-bitten lumberjack. This fantasy aspect doesn't detract from the film, though. Viola puts on her wig and fake sideburns and, suddenly, she's the most socially awkward nerd-boy you've ever seen. Suspension of belief works.

The Sebastian disguise doesn't have to be convincing. What matters is that all the other characters are oblivious to facts that are obvious to the audience. The laughs come from seeing Viola get away with a ridiculous scam. In one scene, Duke and fake Sebastian hug each other, but Viola slips out of character and gets a little too friendly. It's not that homoeroticism or homophobia are inherently funny, it's the knowledge that Duke is disturbed by being frisked by someone who is actually a girl that makes us laugh.

Other than that, "She's the Man" offers audiences the simple pleasure of Amanda Bynes who seems to be a natural in comedic roles. Her Sebastian/Viola is definitely a caricature but it's a perfectly illustrated one. From her mixed-up half southern, half Canadian drawl (her misguided version of the typical teen boy cadence), to her crotch grabbing and Eminem-like posturing, Bynes has a lot of fun and, as a result, the jokes land.

It's a teen movie, so the ending is typical and cheesy. While sister film "10 Things I Hate About You" had a wild feminist streak in it and touched on somewhat weighty issues, such as the pressure to have sex, "She's the Man" lacks a serious undercurrent. But this is probably a good thing. "10 Things" was, at times, too earnest and moralizing. "She's the Man" doesn't pretend to be more important than it is. It'll earn a spot on the shelf, in between "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Legally Blonde." (And, like Reese, maybe Bynes will win an Oscar in 10 years. Anything is possible – just look at how "Crash" won Best Film.)

Copyright (c) 2006 by Lauren Simpson