She's the Man
Encyclopedia
She's the Man is a 2006 American romantic comedy film
directed by Andy Fickman
, based on Twelfth Night, a play by William Shakespeare
. The film stars Amanda Bynes
, Channing Tatum
, Laura Ramsey and Vinnie Jones
.
The film centers around teenager Viola Hastings who enters her brother's school in his place, pretending to be male, in order to play with the boys' soccer team.
) is a high school soccer player at Cornwall, which has just cut its girls' soccer team. After her request to join the boys' team is refused by the misogynistic coach, she finds a way to play for Cornwall's rival, Illyria
. Viola's twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk
), is supposed to enter Illyria as a new student, and since he is instead going to a contest in London with his fledgling band, Sebastian asks Viola to cover for him by telling the school that he is sick and each of their parents (who are divorced) thinks that he is staying with the other.
Viola instead decides to pass herself off as Sebastian and join the boys' soccer team at Illyria. She hopes to beat the Cornwall team and humiliate her cocky and sexist
goalie
ex-boyfriend, Justin (Robert Hoffman
)who plays for the rival team. With the help of her friends, Viola becomes the quirky "Sebastian".
At Illyria, Viola's roommate is Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum
), a good-looking striker on the soccer team. Tryouts see Viola assigned to second string, much to her dismay. Meanwhile, "Sebastian's" lab partner, Olivia (Laura Ramsey), develops a crush on him, which frustrates Duke, who likes Olivia. In exchange for "Sebastian's" help in getting Olivia's attention, Duke agrees to put in extra soccer practice time with him. Coach Dinklage eventually moves "Sebastian" up to first string, and he is delighted.
“Sebastian” is reminded, by a message from his mother, about the Junior League carnival that he and Viola promised to attend. Due to the fact that Duke’s mother is also a part of the Junior League, he must go as well. “Sebastian” is forced to switch between himself and Viola the whole time, while trying to avoid her mother and Monique so that she is not discovered as impersonating her brother. Viola is trying to run around and do both her and her brother’s jobs at the carnival. Duke misses his chance with Olivia when her shift is up at the kissing booth. He is not disappointed by her replacement, who turns out to be “Sebastian’s” sister, Viola. Duke and Viola meet for the first time and exchange their kiss at the kissing booth, only to be interrupted by Viola’s ex-boyfriend, Justin. Duke and Justin get into a fight and decide they will finish the battle on the soccer field. Duke realizes he might be crushing not only on Olivia, but on Viola as well.
Olivia goes on a date with Duke to make "Sebastian" jealous, remaining far more interested in him than in Duke. Encouraged by Viola, she decides to go directly to Sebastian and tell him how she feels.
The plot becomes complicated when the real Sebastian returns from London a day early. When he arrives at Illyria, Olivia runs up and kisses him. Duke, seeing this, believes his roommate has betrayed him and after arguing with "Sebastian" kicks him out. Viola stays in Eunice's room and oversleeps, causing the real Sebastian to wind up on the field playing in what should be his sister's spot in the next day's much-anticipated game against Cornwall. Principal Gold (David Cross
), who has been told of Viola's impersonating Sebastian by two students, Monique and Malcolm, halts the game and informs the crowd that Sebastian is a girl. The real Sebastian being present instead, he proves himself to be male by pulling down his shorts and exposing his genitals off-screen. At half-time
, Viola explains the situation to Sebastian and they switch places again.
Later on in the game Viola explains that she has been impersonating her brother, finally convincing Duke and everyone else by showing them her breasts (again, off screen). The coach agrees to let Viola keep playing anyway, sternly informing the Cornwall coach that Illyria doesn't discriminate based on gender and he calls out the coach for his sexist ways. Illyria wins the game on a penalty kick when Viola scores a goal (after a save and then pass from Duke) past her ex-boyfriend Justin.
Everyone at Illyria celebrates their victory over Cornwall, except for Duke who is hurt at Viola's deception. She invites Duke to her debutante
ball. They meet in a garden and head to the Debutante ball, where they are introduced, come on stage, and kiss. At the end of the film, Viola and Duke are shown playing on the soccer team of Illyria a year later, both on the first string.
reports that 44% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 110 reviews, with an average score of 5 out of 10. The critical consensus is: "Shakespeare's wit gets lost in translation with She's the Mans broad slapstick, predictable jokes, and unconvincing plotline." Among Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 50%, based on a sample of 30 reviews. Metacritic
, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 45% based on 28 reviews.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
, based on Twelfth Night, a play by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. The film stars Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
, Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum
Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a fashion model and appearing in television commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew before turning to film roles...
, Laura Ramsey and Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
.
The film centers around teenager Viola Hastings who enters her brother's school in his place, pretending to be male, in order to play with the boys' soccer team.
Plot
Viola Hastings (Amanda BynesAmanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
) is a high school soccer player at Cornwall, which has just cut its girls' soccer team. After her request to join the boys' team is refused by the misogynistic coach, she finds a way to play for Cornwall's rival, Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
. Viola's twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk
James Kirk (actor)
James Nichol Kirk is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role of Sebastian in She's the Man.-Filmography and Theatre work:-External links:*...
), is supposed to enter Illyria as a new student, and since he is instead going to a contest in London with his fledgling band, Sebastian asks Viola to cover for him by telling the school that he is sick and each of their parents (who are divorced) thinks that he is staying with the other.
Viola instead decides to pass herself off as Sebastian and join the boys' soccer team at Illyria. She hopes to beat the Cornwall team and humiliate her cocky and sexist
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
goalie
Goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, a goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal...
ex-boyfriend, Justin (Robert Hoffman
Robert Hoffman (actor)
Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, dancer and choreographer.- Personal life :Robert James Hoffman III was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of Charlotte and Robert Hoffman II, and moved with his family to Madison, Alabama when he was seven. He has one younger brother, Chris, and...
)who plays for the rival team. With the help of her friends, Viola becomes the quirky "Sebastian".
At Illyria, Viola's roommate is Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum
Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a fashion model and appearing in television commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew before turning to film roles...
), a good-looking striker on the soccer team. Tryouts see Viola assigned to second string, much to her dismay. Meanwhile, "Sebastian's" lab partner, Olivia (Laura Ramsey), develops a crush on him, which frustrates Duke, who likes Olivia. In exchange for "Sebastian's" help in getting Olivia's attention, Duke agrees to put in extra soccer practice time with him. Coach Dinklage eventually moves "Sebastian" up to first string, and he is delighted.
“Sebastian” is reminded, by a message from his mother, about the Junior League carnival that he and Viola promised to attend. Due to the fact that Duke’s mother is also a part of the Junior League, he must go as well. “Sebastian” is forced to switch between himself and Viola the whole time, while trying to avoid her mother and Monique so that she is not discovered as impersonating her brother. Viola is trying to run around and do both her and her brother’s jobs at the carnival. Duke misses his chance with Olivia when her shift is up at the kissing booth. He is not disappointed by her replacement, who turns out to be “Sebastian’s” sister, Viola. Duke and Viola meet for the first time and exchange their kiss at the kissing booth, only to be interrupted by Viola’s ex-boyfriend, Justin. Duke and Justin get into a fight and decide they will finish the battle on the soccer field. Duke realizes he might be crushing not only on Olivia, but on Viola as well.
Olivia goes on a date with Duke to make "Sebastian" jealous, remaining far more interested in him than in Duke. Encouraged by Viola, she decides to go directly to Sebastian and tell him how she feels.
The plot becomes complicated when the real Sebastian returns from London a day early. When he arrives at Illyria, Olivia runs up and kisses him. Duke, seeing this, believes his roommate has betrayed him and after arguing with "Sebastian" kicks him out. Viola stays in Eunice's room and oversleeps, causing the real Sebastian to wind up on the field playing in what should be his sister's spot in the next day's much-anticipated game against Cornwall. Principal Gold (David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
), who has been told of Viola's impersonating Sebastian by two students, Monique and Malcolm, halts the game and informs the crowd that Sebastian is a girl. The real Sebastian being present instead, he proves himself to be male by pulling down his shorts and exposing his genitals off-screen. At half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
, Viola explains the situation to Sebastian and they switch places again.
Later on in the game Viola explains that she has been impersonating her brother, finally convincing Duke and everyone else by showing them her breasts (again, off screen). The coach agrees to let Viola keep playing anyway, sternly informing the Cornwall coach that Illyria doesn't discriminate based on gender and he calls out the coach for his sexist ways. Illyria wins the game on a penalty kick when Viola scores a goal (after a save and then pass from Duke) past her ex-boyfriend Justin.
Everyone at Illyria celebrates their victory over Cornwall, except for Duke who is hurt at Viola's deception. She invites Duke to her debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
ball. They meet in a garden and head to the Debutante ball, where they are introduced, come on stage, and kiss. At the end of the film, Viola and Duke are shown playing on the soccer team of Illyria a year later, both on the first string.
Cast
- Amanda BynesAmanda BynesAmanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
as Viola/Sebastian Hastings - Channing TatumChanning TatumChanning Matthew Tatum is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a fashion model and appearing in television commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew before turning to film roles...
as Duke Orsino - Laura Ramsey as Olivia Lennox
- David CrossDavid CrossDavid Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
as Principal Horatio Gold - Vinnie JonesVinnie JonesVincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
as Coach Dinklage - Alex BreckenridgeAlex BreckenridgeAlexandra "Alex" Breckenridge is an American film and television actress, photographer and voice artist. Noted for her role as Willa McPherson on the television series Dirt, she also had a supporting role on the short lived series The Ex List...
as Monique Valentine - John Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-Ferguson is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He has appeared in a wide range of films and television shows. His notable works include playing Sonny Hamilton on Hamilton's Quest, Peter Hutter on The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Joe Whedon on Brothers & Sisters...
as Roger - Julie HagertyJulie HagertyJulie Hagerty is an American actress and former model.-Early life:Hagerty was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Harriet Yuellig, a model and singer, and Jerry Hagerty, a musician. Her brother Michael Hagerty was also an actor. Her parents later divorced. Hagerty attended Indian Hill High...
as Daphne - Lynda BoydLynda BoydLynda Boyd is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the Hollywood films Final Destination 2 , An Unfinished Life , She's the Man , and On Thin Ice, with Diane Keaton...
as Cheryl - James KirkJames Kirk (actor)James Nichol Kirk is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role of Sebastian in She's the Man.-Filmography and Theatre work:-External links:*...
as Sebastian Hastings - Robert HoffmanRobert Hoffman (actor)Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, dancer and choreographer.- Personal life :Robert James Hoffman III was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of Charlotte and Robert Hoffman II, and moved with his family to Madison, Alabama when he was seven. He has one younger brother, Chris, and...
as Justin Drayton - Jonathan SadowskiJonathan SadowskiJonathan Sadowski is an American actor. He is best known for playing Viola Hasting's best friend Paul Antonio in the movie She's The Man, Trey in Live Free or Die Hard, and Blake in the 2009 film The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. In July 2010, he joined the cast of the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad...
as Paul Antonio - Amanda CrewAmanda CrewAmanda Crew is a Canadian television and film actress. She is best known for her work on the television series 15/Love and Whistler, and in the feature-length films Final Destination 3, Sex Drive, The Haunting in Connecticut, and Charlie St. Cloud.-Early life:Crew was born in Langley, British...
as Kia - Jessica LucasJessica LucasJessica Lucas is a Canadian actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in Melrose Place, She's the Man and Cloverfield.-Early life:...
as Yvonne - James Snyder as Malcolm Feste
- Robert TortiRobert TortiRobert Felix Torti is an American actor.Torti was born in Van Nuys, California. He married DeLee Lively on June 24, 1999. Together, they have three children.-Filmography:*Quincy M.E....
as Coach Pistonek - Brandon Jay McLarenBrandon Jay McLarenBrandon Jay McLaren is a Canadian actor. He is best known by his role of Jack Landors, the Red SPD Power Ranger, on Power Rangers: SPD, and Danny Brooks on Harper's Island. He was a guest star in the episode "Bloodlines" of Blade: The Series...
as Toby - Clifton MaCabe Murray as Andrew
- Emily PerkinsEmily PerkinsEmily Jean Perkins is a Canadian actress, known best for her co-starring role as Brigitte Fitzgerald in the movie Ginger Snaps and its two sequels, Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed and Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning. Since the late 1980s she has appeared in various films and television series.-Life...
as Eunice Bates - Robert Capron as Himself
Box office
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office making $10.7 million USD in its opening weekend. Its budget was approximately $20,000,000. She's the Man grossed a total of $33,741,133 domestic with a total gross of $57,194,667 worldwide.Critical response
She's the Man has received mixed reviews. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 44% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 110 reviews, with an average score of 5 out of 10. The critical consensus is: "Shakespeare's wit gets lost in translation with She's the Mans broad slapstick, predictable jokes, and unconvincing plotline." Among Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 50%, based on a sample of 30 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 45% based on 28 reviews.