Movie Review: Better Late Than Never

Movie Review and Analysis of She’s The Man
Source and Review: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/REVIEWS/60314005
I have been a fan of She’s the Man (2006) because it’s just a silly heartwarming film that lets you escape into the characters world. The movie follows Viola who plays soccer on the girl’s team at Cornwall Prep but when her team was cut at school she decides she wants to join the boys’ team. The boy’s team won’t allow that because they think she isn’t good enough plus she’s a GIRL. Viola then takes matters into her own hands and goes to her twin brother’s school Illyria Prep, while he is in London performing with his band, to play soccer. She heads to the rival school while impersonating her brother so that she can make the team and prove to the other people that she is good enough to play with the boys. While at the school there are loads of hysterical mishaps and funny characters that draw the audience in.
For the reason that I was already a fan of the movie I began to notice while our class was reading Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” that the whole plot from the movie came from this play. In Roger Ebert’s review of the movie he picks up on the similarity between the plotlines. I can tell from Ebert’s review that he is very familiar with Shakespeare’s play because he points out the several parts where they are the same. First he notes the lead female characters similar situation where both of the female leads brothers are gone which allows them to impersonate a male character. Viola’s (Amanda Bynes) brother Sebastian is in London performing with his band while in Shakespeare’s play, Viola’s fears that her brother is lost or has perished at sea. For the reason that the brothers are missing in action the real fun begins and the trouble ensues. Another connection between the two is the names for instance Viola and Sebastian are twins in both with the same names as in the play, when Viola is impersonating a male her name is Cesario and that is the name of the popular pizza parlor, and lastly the Duke of Illyria named Orsino is in the movie as just Duke Orsino and the name of the country Illyria is the name of the school. One of the funny things about this movie and the play were the “interlocking romantic triangles” that arise. The most hilarious being that Olivia is in love with Viola, who she thinks is a man ( Cesario or Sebastian) and Duke is in love with Olivia, and Viola is really in love with Duke, so the whole situation is just comedic. Of course in the end of the movie and the play the characters end up with the right person.
Although the movie is not remotely realistic it is enjoyable. One of the reasons that it is unrealistic is the characters are too old to be in high school Tatum who plays duke was 26 years old at the time. Another notable point is that Bynes isn’t convincing as a boy but then again that is half the humor, seeing her get out of awkward situations like shirts and skins game at practice, getting hit in the crotch and not being in pain, or showering etc. it’s all in good humor. In conclusion Ebert’s review was honest and fair and gave the reader a reliable and knowledgeable perspective regarding the movie.