John Tucker Must Die
Encyclopedia
John Tucker Must Die is a 2006
American
high school
comedy
romance film
, directed by Betty Thomas
.
The film is about a trio of girls (played by Arielle Kebbel
, Sophia Bush
, and Ashanti
) who plot to break the heart of manipulative basketball
star John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe
) after they learn he has been secretly dating all three and pledging each is "the one". They recruit cute wallflower Kate (Brittany Snow) in their scheme to publicly humiliate the cad.
Released in North America on July 28, 2006. The film reached number 3 in the US and number 1 in Australia.
) series of bad relationships which always causes the family to move to a new town, making Kate feel invisible. She and her mother move to a new town and Kate gets a job as a waitress. While at work, she sees popular local boy John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe
) on dates with three different girls: Carrie (Arielle Kebbel
), a chronic overachiever
; Heather (Ashanti), who is a sassy, aggressive head cheerleader; and Beth (Sophia Bush
) a promiscuous vegan
activist. Kate learns from a co-worker that he dates girls from different clique
s at his school so that they never interact and convinces the girls who he dates to keep their relationships secret by telling them that his father does not allow him to date during basketball season.
One day in gym class, Kate, Carrie, Heather and Beth end up on the same team for a volleyball game. During the game, Carrie brags about being with John Tucker, and the girls learn about his scheme. Carrie, Heather and Beth begin fighting and Kate tries to break up the fight, landing them all in detention. While in detention, Kate is enlisted to help in the retaliation against John Tucker. In the meantime Kate becomes friends with John's brother Scott (Penn Badgley
), better known as "The Other Tucker". The girls' initial attempts to undo John (making people believe he has genital herpes and undermining his confidence by giving him estrogen
) backfire as John manages to use them to his advantage. After he breaks up with all three girls, they agree that breaking his heart is the ideal revenge. They then enlist Kate to be the heartbreaker.
Kate joins the cheerleading team in order to get John's attention and the girls give her advice on how to act around John and spy on the dates using surveillance equipment. Kate and John go on a series of dates, the first of which at a bonfire at the beach. Kate is unprepared after John asks to take her home and Beth intervenes to teach her how to kiss. However, John arrives, forcing Beth to hide in the back of his Land Rover
. At her house, Kate manages to buy Beth time to escape by kissing John, with Beth's skirt being ruined in the process.
The next date is a romantic boat ride, and Kate and John have a good time together. Beth later notices that Kate is starting to fall for John. To counteract this, Carrie tapes John bragging to his friends in the locker room, saying he'll be scoring "more than baskets" at the away game, and shows the tape to Kate in order to get her to snap out of it. The girls try another plan to embarrass John Tucker at a hotel on the night of the away game. Kate seduces John on a video-chat and tells him to put on a woman's thong and climb out of his room and into hers. He accidentally climbs into a teacher's room and becomes the laughingstock of the school. John again uses this to his advantage, starting a fashion trend.
Meanwhile, Kate's mother and Scott both discover the plan and lament the change in Kate's behavior. Afterward, Kate tells John that she heard about what he said in the locker room about her. John makes amends by giving her his watch and asking her to be his girlfriend. Kate tells Heather, Carrie and Beth that she wants out of the plan, as whether they are dating or plotting to destroy John Tucker, it is still all about him.
At John's birthday party, the tape the girls made of John's destruction is played, and Kate reveals the entire plot. Heather, Beth, and Carrie defend her after a guest throws his drink at Kate. Still, John Tucker is unfazed, and the party devolves into a cake fight.
A few days later, John and Kate agree to be friends, and John resolves to be honest, telling his new girlfriend about his other girlfriend. Scott, happy that Kate confessed, becomes her lab partner again, and it is hinted the two will begin dating. Kate is now good friends with Beth, Carrie, and Heather. Kate finishes saying, "as for the girl who made John Tucker fall in love, well, she's a legend."
After the credits, Kate warns viewers at home wanting to try this that destroying a man has consequences, and the camera pans to several male teachers bending over to grab some papers, all wearing thongs.
in Port Moody, British Columbia
, Canada during the summer of 2005, and set in Seattle. The movie is the first major film to host its official homepage on MySpace
; the film's production studio, 20th Century Fox
, is a subsidiary of News Corporation
, which also owned MySpace.
Many songs that were featured in the film were not included on the soundtrack, such as "Maneater
" by Nelly Furtado
, "Wikked Lil' Grrrls
" by Esthero
, "Just the Girl
" by The Click Five
, "Can I Get Get Get" by Junior Senior
, "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
" by the Eagles of Death Metal
, "Hey Kid" by Matt Willis
,"I Want You to Want Me
" by Cheap Trick
and "Crush" by Urban Delights.
$34,276,534, ranking third in the U.S. box office
results for that weekend. As of November 2, the film grossed $41.9 million in the United States and Canada. The film made a total of $68,824,526 worldwide.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 25% based on reviews from 92 critics.
Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times wrote that the film is "unforgivably clueless about teen culture" and "can't even sustain the courage of its girl-power convictions." Catsoulis was also critical of Metcalfe's "unconvincing" performance, writing that he musters "fewer expressions than a Botox infomercial."
Michael Medved
gave John Tucker Must Die two stars out of four, calling it "slick, stupid and slightly sleazy," and that at the half-way mark, the plot collapses. He added that Jenny McCarthy
, in a supporting role, "...is notably better than the rest of the cast."
James Berardinelli
of Reelviews also disliked the film. He gave it 1.5 stars out of 4, saying "The gulf is vast between what the studio wants us to think John Tucker Must Die is and what it really is. The marketers and publicists would have us believe this is a dark, edgy teen comedy about a band of two-timed girls taking revenge on the school's biggest hunk. Unfortunately, Betty Thomas' film is neither dark nor edgy (although it occasionally tries masquerading in those categories), nor is it particularly funny." He goes on to mention "The movie may be able to bamboozle a few teen female fans into multiplexes, but it's hard to imagine any of them – even those who swoon at the sight of Jesse Metcalfe – labeling this as better than forgettable. And for anyone outside that demographic unfortunate enough to endure John Tucker Must Die, the memory will be too painful to fade quickly."
Jenny McCarthy's performance in the film earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
romance film
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
, directed by Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
.
The film is about a trio of girls (played by Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
, Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush
Sophia Anna Bush is an American actress, director and spokesperson. She currently stars in the CW television series One Tree Hill where she portrays Brooke Davis. Bush is additionally known for her film portrayals in the 2007 remake The Hitcher, John Tucker Must Die and The Narrows.-Early...
, and Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
) who plot to break the heart of manipulative basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
star John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe
Jesse Metcalfe
Jesse Eden Metcalfe is an American actor, best known for his role on Desperate Housewives as John Rowland. He is also notable for his portrayal of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the soap opera Passions and his starring role as the title character in the movie John Tucker Must Die.-Early life:Metcalfe...
) after they learn he has been secretly dating all three and pledging each is "the one". They recruit cute wallflower Kate (Brittany Snow) in their scheme to publicly humiliate the cad.
Released in North America on July 28, 2006. The film reached number 3 in the US and number 1 in Australia.
Plot
The movie begins with Kate (Brittany Snow) discussing her mother Lori's (Jenny McCarthyJenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
) series of bad relationships which always causes the family to move to a new town, making Kate feel invisible. She and her mother move to a new town and Kate gets a job as a waitress. While at work, she sees popular local boy John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe
Jesse Metcalfe
Jesse Eden Metcalfe is an American actor, best known for his role on Desperate Housewives as John Rowland. He is also notable for his portrayal of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the soap opera Passions and his starring role as the title character in the movie John Tucker Must Die.-Early life:Metcalfe...
) on dates with three different girls: Carrie (Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
), a chronic overachiever
Overachievement
Overachievers are individuals who "perform better or achieve more success than expected." The implicit presumption is that the "overachiever" is achieving superior results through excessive effort...
; Heather (Ashanti), who is a sassy, aggressive head cheerleader; and Beth (Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush
Sophia Anna Bush is an American actress, director and spokesperson. She currently stars in the CW television series One Tree Hill where she portrays Brooke Davis. Bush is additionally known for her film portrayals in the 2007 remake The Hitcher, John Tucker Must Die and The Narrows.-Early...
) a promiscuous vegan
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
activist. Kate learns from a co-worker that he dates girls from different clique
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
s at his school so that they never interact and convinces the girls who he dates to keep their relationships secret by telling them that his father does not allow him to date during basketball season.
One day in gym class, Kate, Carrie, Heather and Beth end up on the same team for a volleyball game. During the game, Carrie brags about being with John Tucker, and the girls learn about his scheme. Carrie, Heather and Beth begin fighting and Kate tries to break up the fight, landing them all in detention. While in detention, Kate is enlisted to help in the retaliation against John Tucker. In the meantime Kate becomes friends with John's brother Scott (Penn Badgley
Penn Badgley
Penn Dayton Badgley is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl. He has also starred in the movies John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather, and Easy A....
), better known as "The Other Tucker". The girls' initial attempts to undo John (making people believe he has genital herpes and undermining his confidence by giving him estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
) backfire as John manages to use them to his advantage. After he breaks up with all three girls, they agree that breaking his heart is the ideal revenge. They then enlist Kate to be the heartbreaker.
Kate joins the cheerleading team in order to get John's attention and the girls give her advice on how to act around John and spy on the dates using surveillance equipment. Kate and John go on a series of dates, the first of which at a bonfire at the beach. Kate is unprepared after John asks to take her home and Beth intervenes to teach her how to kiss. However, John arrives, forcing Beth to hide in the back of his Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
. At her house, Kate manages to buy Beth time to escape by kissing John, with Beth's skirt being ruined in the process.
The next date is a romantic boat ride, and Kate and John have a good time together. Beth later notices that Kate is starting to fall for John. To counteract this, Carrie tapes John bragging to his friends in the locker room, saying he'll be scoring "more than baskets" at the away game, and shows the tape to Kate in order to get her to snap out of it. The girls try another plan to embarrass John Tucker at a hotel on the night of the away game. Kate seduces John on a video-chat and tells him to put on a woman's thong and climb out of his room and into hers. He accidentally climbs into a teacher's room and becomes the laughingstock of the school. John again uses this to his advantage, starting a fashion trend.
Meanwhile, Kate's mother and Scott both discover the plan and lament the change in Kate's behavior. Afterward, Kate tells John that she heard about what he said in the locker room about her. John makes amends by giving her his watch and asking her to be his girlfriend. Kate tells Heather, Carrie and Beth that she wants out of the plan, as whether they are dating or plotting to destroy John Tucker, it is still all about him.
At John's birthday party, the tape the girls made of John's destruction is played, and Kate reveals the entire plot. Heather, Beth, and Carrie defend her after a guest throws his drink at Kate. Still, John Tucker is unfazed, and the party devolves into a cake fight.
A few days later, John and Kate agree to be friends, and John resolves to be honest, telling his new girlfriend about his other girlfriend. Scott, happy that Kate confessed, becomes her lab partner again, and it is hinted the two will begin dating. Kate is now good friends with Beth, Carrie, and Heather. Kate finishes saying, "as for the girl who made John Tucker fall in love, well, she's a legend."
After the credits, Kate warns viewers at home wanting to try this that destroying a man has consequences, and the camera pans to several male teachers bending over to grab some papers, all wearing thongs.
Cast
- Brittany Snow as Kate Spencer
- Arielle KebbelArielle KebbelArielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
as Carrie Shaeffer - Sophia BushSophia BushSophia Anna Bush is an American actress, director and spokesperson. She currently stars in the CW television series One Tree Hill where she portrays Brooke Davis. Bush is additionally known for her film portrayals in the 2007 remake The Hitcher, John Tucker Must Die and The Narrows.-Early...
as Beth McIntyre - Ashanti as Heather Straham
- Jesse MetcalfeJesse MetcalfeJesse Eden Metcalfe is an American actor, best known for his role on Desperate Housewives as John Rowland. He is also notable for his portrayal of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the soap opera Passions and his starring role as the title character in the movie John Tucker Must Die.-Early life:Metcalfe...
as John Tucker - Penn BadgleyPenn BadgleyPenn Dayton Badgley is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl. He has also starred in the movies John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather, and Easy A....
as Scott Tucker - Jenny McCarthyJenny McCarthyJennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
as Lori, Kate's mother - Samantha NobleSamantha NobleSamantha C. Noble is an Australian actress who has worked on television series and films. She is currently best known for her role as Jade/Amitiel in Gabriel, and has appeared in several films including See No Evil and .-Personal life:...
as Jodi, Lesbian woman
Filming locations
Most of the filming was done at the Heritage Woods Secondary SchoolHeritage Woods Secondary School
Heritage Woods Secondary School is a coeducational high school located in Port Moody, British Columbia. In 2007, Heritage Woods celebrated their first graduating class...
in Port Moody, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada during the summer of 2005, and set in Seattle. The movie is the first major film to host its official homepage on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
; the film's production studio, 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, is a subsidiary of News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, which also owned MySpace.
Music
- "Dirty Little SecretDirty Little Secret"Dirty Little Secret" is the first single by the rock band The All-American Rejects from their second studio album Move Along. It was released on June 6, 2005, to modern rock radio stations, and later to contemporary hit radio on July 12. "Dirty Little Secret" is an electric pop rock song that...
" – The All-American RejectsThe All-American RejectsThe All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor.... - "HonestlyHonestly (Cartel song)"Honestly" is the first single from the American pop rock group Cartel, taken from their debut album, Chroma. The single was released in 2006. The song was first featured on MTV Discover and Download throughout the summer months in the U.S. in 2006. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the...
" – CartelCartel (band)Cartel is a American pop rock band from Conyers, Georgia that formed in 2003. The band is best known for their single "Honestly", featured on their 2005 debut album Chroma, and for their 2007 appearance on MTV's Band in a Bubble.... - "ChelseaChelsea (STEFY song)"Chelsea" is the debut song by Stefy and is the first single from their 2006 album, The Orange Album. It was released to radio in June 2006. The song samples The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams " at the beginning of the song.-History:...
" – StefyStefyStefy is a pop band from Orange County, California. The group, formerly known as "The Lovely", consists of Jason Gaviati , Stefy Rae , Sean Meyer and Jordan Plosky... - "Hope Song" – Rock Kills KidRock Kills KidRock Kills Kid is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California that consists of Jeff Tucker , Shawn Dailey , Sean Stopnik , Reed Calhoun , and Mike Balboa . Their music often draws comparison to The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Duran Duran and U2, as well as new bands such as The...
- "Instantly Gratified" – People in PlanesPeople in PlanesPeople in Planes are a five piece Indie rock band from Cardiff, Wales. They are signed to Wind-up Records. Prior to 2003 they were known as Tetra Splendour and before that they went by the name of Robots in the Sky...
- "Better Open the Door" – Motion City SoundtrackMotion City SoundtrackMotion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
- "Time After TimeTime after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released as the second single from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remained there for two weeks...
" – QuietdriveQuietdriveQuietdrive is an alternative rock band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that formed in 2002. Quietdrive released their debut album When All That's Left Is You on May 30, 2006 on Epic Records. In April 2008, Quietdrive parted with Epic Records and released their album titled Deliverance on October... - "Fool for Love" – StefyStefyStefy is a pop band from Orange County, California. The group, formerly known as "The Lovely", consists of Jason Gaviati , Stefy Rae , Sean Meyer and Jordan Plosky...
- "This Will Be Our Year" – OK GoOK GoOK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...
- "I Like What You Say" – Nada SurfNada SurfNada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
- "Float On" – Ben LeeBen LeeBenjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
- "Sunset Lover" – Josh KelleyJosh KelleyJoshua Bishop "Josh" Kelley is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist, and has had four hit singles on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart...
- "We Got to Leave" – Caesars
- "The Next Big Thing" – Rockett Queen
- "Not Giving Up" – Hudson
Many songs that were featured in the film were not included on the soundtrack, such as "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
" by Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, "Wikked Lil' Grrrls
Wikked Lil' Grrrls
Wikked Lil' Grrrls is Canadian American singer Esthero's second album, her first full-length in seven years....
" by Esthero
Esthero
Esthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney...
, "Just the Girl
Just the Girl
"Just the Girl" is a single by The Click Five taken from their album Greetings from Imrie House, released on August 16, 2005.So far the single is the band's highest-charting mainstream single to date, reaching #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
" by The Click Five
The Click Five
The Click Five is an American power pop band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2003 and played in various local venues. They then quickly got the attention of talent scout Wayne Sharp...
, "Can I Get Get Get" by Junior Senior
Junior Senior
Junior Senior was a pop musical duo from Denmark. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen ....
, "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
"I Want You So Hard " is the first single from the Eagles of Death Metal's second studio album Death By Sexy. The song and music video has Jack Black and Dave Grohl making guest appearances. The video was directed by Akiva Schaffer, who directs the SNL Digital Shorts on Saturday Night Live,...
" by the Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
, "Hey Kid" by Matt Willis
Matt Willis
Matthew James Willis is an English singer-songwriter. He found fame as a founding member of the band Busted.- Early years :...
,"I Want You to Want Me
I Want You to Want Me
"I Want You to Want Me" is a song by Cheap Trick which first appeared on their second album In Color in 1977. It was the first single released from that album but it didn't chart in the US. However, it was a #1 single in Japan...
" by Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
and "Crush" by Urban Delights.
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$34,276,534, ranking third in the U.S. box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
results for that weekend. As of November 2, the film grossed $41.9 million in the United States and Canada. The film made a total of $68,824,526 worldwide.
Critical response
The film was negatively reviewed by most critics.Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 25% based on reviews from 92 critics.
Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times wrote that the film is "unforgivably clueless about teen culture" and "can't even sustain the courage of its girl-power convictions." Catsoulis was also critical of Metcalfe's "unconvincing" performance, writing that he musters "fewer expressions than a Botox infomercial."
Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
gave John Tucker Must Die two stars out of four, calling it "slick, stupid and slightly sleazy," and that at the half-way mark, the plot collapses. He added that Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
, in a supporting role, "...is notably better than the rest of the cast."
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
of Reelviews also disliked the film. He gave it 1.5 stars out of 4, saying "The gulf is vast between what the studio wants us to think John Tucker Must Die is and what it really is. The marketers and publicists would have us believe this is a dark, edgy teen comedy about a band of two-timed girls taking revenge on the school's biggest hunk. Unfortunately, Betty Thomas' film is neither dark nor edgy (although it occasionally tries masquerading in those categories), nor is it particularly funny." He goes on to mention "The movie may be able to bamboozle a few teen female fans into multiplexes, but it's hard to imagine any of them – even those who swoon at the sight of Jesse Metcalfe – labeling this as better than forgettable. And for anyone outside that demographic unfortunate enough to endure John Tucker Must Die, the memory will be too painful to fade quickly."
Jenny McCarthy's performance in the film earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.