Whatever It Takes

  • Review Date: July 1, 2003
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2001
 Review

Common Sense Media says

This is simply an assembly of cinematic cliches.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that some teens will want to see it, but a lot of reprehensible behavior and irresponsibly is presented here. There are many sexual references, as well as a lot of profanity.

  • Girls are basically sex toys; virtually no students of color appear. Explicit bathroom humor.
  • Some bone-crunching "touch" football; a gym coach repeatedly beans his baseball players.
  • Women are pursued solely for sexual gratification; teenage girls are scarily experienced, modeling lingerie and hinting at their bedroom talents. A jock wearing only a thong is tied up and blindfolded, then displayed to his classmates. Lots of groping, innuendo, porn references, and one sex-ed scene with a five-foot model of the male sex organ.

What's the story?

Geeky Ryan (Shane West) has a crush on popular girl Ashley (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), much to the dismay of his less-flashy friend Maggie (Marla Sokoloff). Meanwhile, school football stud Chris (James Franco) has his eyes set on Maggie. Ryan and Chris team up to help each other get their respective girls.


Is it any good?

 

WHATEVER IT TAKES follows the cinematic formula of casting unusually good-looking and savvy characters as losers. So when Ryan overlooks girl next door Maggie for Ashley, you'll spot the first case of Hollywood illogic at work. Far more grating is the way the women in this movie are so easily seduced; Maggie's blindness to Chris's crude egotism strains belief, and Ashley's desperate and self-destructive desire for Ryan is not just implausible, it's offensive. The more interesting characters are those that get the least screen time. Ryan's pack of oddball buddies provide a few nifty comic turns, and two thirteen-year-old girls laughed at SNL alum Julia Sweeney's antics as the school nurse (also Ryan's mom). But basically this is the usual teen flick routine: kids party in fabulous homes, dress impeccably, and partake in orgiastic sex (offscreen).

While escapism can be fun, this is simply an assembly of cinematic clichés. From It's A Wonderful Life, there's the scene of the kids at the prom falling into a pool as the gym floor retracts. From There's Something About Mary, there's explicit bathroom humor. And from Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, and She's All That, there's the literary adaptation angle. But what those movies did with Emma, The Taming of the Shrew, and Pygmalion was far more successful. This one is just a rip off.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the theme of two male teenagers deceiving their female friends to help one another get into bed with them.


This review was written by Ellen MacKay
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
amazing
this is a great movie....i love the romance!

Flag as inappropriate 
Educator
April 29, 2012
 
Nice!
love this filck so cute wow great movie all i gotta say!

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This review was written by Ellen MacKay
Studio:Sony Pictures
Director:David Raynr
Cast:James Franco, Marla Sokoloff, Shane West
Genre:Comedy
Run time:94 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 30, 2001
DVD release date:October 30, 2001
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:thematic elements, sexual material, and language

This review was written by Ellen MacKay
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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