From roughly 1997 to 2002, Freddie Prinze, Jr. was a legitimate thing. The peak of that thing, in terms of overall success and his place in the billing, was She's All That, an overtly misogynistic tale of a popular, athletic guy who falls for a not-so popular, nerdy girl. She wears glasses; he wears a letterman's jacket. She enjoys art; he frets about actually getting accepted to great colleges (no, really). That is the depth of this dichotomy.
The catch: He only falls for her after betting h...
From roughly 1997 to 2002, Freddie Prinze, Jr. was a legitimate thing. The peak of that thing, in terms of overall success and his place in the billing, was She's All That, an overtly misogynistic tale of a popular, athletic guy who falls for a not-so popular, nerdy girl. She wears glasses; he wears a letterman's jacket. She enjoys art; he frets about actually getting accepted to great colleges (no, really). That is the depth of this dichotomy.
The catch: He only falls for her after betting his sleazy friend that he can turn her into the prom queen through the strength of his own social status.
It's high school trope after high school trope rolled neatly into a typical "Coming-of-Age" tale that sort of resonates, but not really. That's not to say that the film is without its charms. There are a few; and despite its flaws, I'm unashamed to admit I enjoy the heck out of it.
Shockingly, for a film that adds little to an already overstuffed genre—and dissimilar to many of the movies we cover—She's All That was a smash hit, grossing over $100 million worldwide on a budget not even a tenth of that. What earned it a spot on the show? Well, like many of our episodes, it wasn't well reviewed, nor does its general concept age particularly well, making for a lot of good podcasting fodder.
So sit back, get nostalgic to some Kiss Me from Six Pence None the Richer—yes, that is the actual name of the band—grab a Hoppy Bitch IPA—shout out to Taylor Vaughn—and enjoy as I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), and Clement Von Franckenstein (aka Wolfgang MacLeod, aka the Irate Lover), part like the Red Sea at prom for an impromptu, yet highly choreographed dance for the ages!
This Week's Segments:
- Introduction – Our general reaction to the film and lingering questions we have. Spoiler: One of us really disliked this movie. (00:00)
- “Am I full of s**t or not?” – Clement Von Franckenstein attempts to debunk or confirm facts I discovered while investigating the interwebs. (38:02)
- "Where Are They Now?" The Southern California High Class of 1999 – We assess who certain characters became later in life by assigning them another character from their filmography. (51:50)
- Six Degrees of Movie Separation & Recommendations – Can I again connect two actors in six degrees or less? (59:28)
- *Thrones Talk – We break down the end of an appointment television era, discussing the finale of Game of Thrones. (1:06:30)
*This segment is dark and full of spoilers.
And, as always, hit us up on Twitter (@HopsandBOFlops) to check out all the interesting factoids—the head-scratching script doctor, a malodorous practical joke, and more—from this week’s episode!
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