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Parents' Guide to

She's All That

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Uneven "ugly duckling" teen tale has bullying, drinking.

Movie PG-13 1999 95 minutes
She's All That Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Hello133
Hello133 Parent of 12-year-old
April 16, 2022
age 13+

Honest review

This was an amazing movie with some mature content. One scene of teens in bed together with the girl kissing a guys naked abs and a drinking scene. There is also a really gross pizza scene. I think this movie is good for 8th grade and up.
Suez
Suez Adult
June 2, 2015
age 14+

Iffy Content

There is typical teen swearing and sexual innuendo and the use of one F word. There is also all the other content previously mentioned. As far as actual sexuality, there are partly clothed bodies rolling around and kissing. My 14 yod and I watched together and were both grossed out over a few parts. The ending is sweet, but overall the movie lacked real emotion. Acting skills are almost nonexistent.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

SHE'S ALL THAT kicks off with Zach (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), the most popular and talented boy in high school, getting dumped by his beautiful but mean girlfriend. She has met an MTV celebrity (Matthew Lillard). Zach and his best friend bet that he can take any girl in school and get her elected prom queen before the end of school. The choice is drab Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook), who is coping with her mother's death by taking care of her father and brother and by worrying about problems throughout the world instead of working through her own feelings of loss. Laney is one of the least persuasive ugly ducklings in the history of movies. She shucks her glasses and her overalls, and my goodness! She's beautiful! And my goodness! Zach finds himself actually caring for her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (9 ):

The movie's not all that bad, though the plot is almost numbingly predictable. She's All That falls smack dab in the middle of the "makeover movie" genre, in which Our Heroine achieves success through good grooming and accessorizing. The result here is uneven, with some good performances and even some witty commentary on teen culture, but beware: The raunchy references make this inappropriate for younger teens, and even parents of mature high schoolers might want to consider it carefully.

One of the movie's strengths is that it makes clear that Zach and Laney have both limited themselves by defining themselves before they have really had a chance to find out who they are. The movie's other strengths are Prinze, who has a wonderful screen presence, and the magnificent Anna Paquin as his younger sister. Cook's performance is flat by comparison. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is a caricature as Zach's former girlfriend, but Matthew Lillard is hilarious as a self-obsessed gross-out champion based on MTV's legendary Puck.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about teen movies. How does this compare to other teen movies?

  • What aspects of the movie make it a "'90s teen movie"? How have teen movies changed over the years?

  • How were issues like bullying, cliques, fitting in, etc. addressed? Was the movie realistic? Why or why not?

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