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"'Boys
and Girls' Are All Talk and No Action"
by Scott Mantz
"Boys and Girls"
Freddie Prinze Jr., Claire Forlani
Directed by Robert Iscove
In Rob Reiner's
now-classic 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally...," Billy Crystal was
quick to point out how "guys and girls can't be friends, because
the sex thing always gets in the way." He wasn't kidding. No matter
how close two people get, it's only a matter of time before one
of two things happen. Either they will become romantically involved,
or they will go their separate ways when one of them starts dating
someone else. However, if the two friends accidentally hook up for
one night of passion, then it's hard to pretend like it didn't happen
and go back to being just friends again. That's the dilemma that
the lovebirds in "Boys and Girls" take far too long to face, and
a film that could have been as significant to teens as "The Breakfast
Club" or "Say Anything" turns out to be as forgettable as "She's
All That" and "Down to You."
Ryan (Freddie
Prinze Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani) have an uncanny knack
for bumping into each other at various stages of their lives. They
meet on a plane at the age of 12, where it's love at first sight
(even though they don't realize it yet). They meet up again in high
school, where she is the homecoming queen, and he is the team mascot.
Fast forward to college, where they finally become friends. Ryan
is an uptight and anal-retentive engineering major, while Jennifer
is a Latin major with a penchant for dating jerks. She teaches Ryan
how to lighten up, while he teaches her how to open up. They confide
in each other about their problems, fears, and insecurities, yet
they still don't realize that they're staring destiny right in the
face. Just get together already, will ya?
As far as it's
premise is concerned, "Boys and Girls" is trying to be a "When Harry
Met Sally..." for teens, but it misses the boat completely by focusing
less on the issues facing today's youth and more on the same old
get-together-already scenario what we've seen before. Ryan obviously
needs a new prescription for his glasses, because it's quite obvious
that Jennifer has the hots for him. They get along great, and the
notion of opposites attracting fits them like a glove. How could
he not notice Jennifer's smitten glare into his eyes whenever they
get up close and personal, not to mention the dynamite figure that
she proudly displays by exposing her navel whenever she gets the
chance?
Then there's
Ryan and Jennifer's respective roommates, Hunter and Amy. Their
the ones with the real stories to tell, but they're left on the
sidelines as the much needed comic relief. Bringing them more to
the forefront and focusing on their issues could have raised the
bar for "Boy and Girls" above other generic teen fare. Hunter, who's
real name is Steve, is so lost with his search for an identity that
he changes his wardrobe about as often as he changes the color of
his hair. He may appear jovial on the outside, but that's only to
cover up his inner confusion as he tries to figure out who he is
and where he belongs in the world. The same goes for Amy, who's
so scatterbrained that she has to consult with her therapist before
making even the simplest of decisions.
"Boys and Girls"
marks the third time in a row that Freddie Prinze Jr. has done the
teen pic shtick for the brothers Weinstein over at Miramax Pictures.
Judging by his uninspired performance here, maybe it's about time
that he moved on to more adult fare. Claire Forlani gives it her
all, exuding the charm, vibrancy, and sexuality that her last film
(1998's "Meet Joe Black") could have used, but it's still not enough
to raise the movie above the ranks of being just another date flick.
Jason Biggs follows up his breakout performance as a high school
kid out to get laid in "American Pie", this time playing a college
kid out to get laid (big stretch). Despite giving the film some
much-needed comic relief, he is wasted for not giving his sensitive
quest for identity more time to blossom. The same can be said of
Amanda Detmer, who comes across more as a roommate-from-hell than
a confused college co-ed.
When it comes
to love, it's either there, or it's not. It's as simple as that.
You can analyze it all you want, but you can't force yourself to
fall in love with someone simply because he or she looks good on
paper. That's not love. That's settling. That said, you also can't
fight a feeling if it's already there, and if that's the case, sometimes
you just need to sit back and let nature take it's course. Things
happen when they're meant to happen, so why fight the feeling when
it feels so good?
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