Film Reviews - Teen Movies - Date Movie, Just Friends, Man of the House

Teen movies

Date Movie (2006)
Vital Statistics
Dir(s) Aaron Seltzer
Writer(s) Aaron Seltzer, Jason Friedberg
Starring: Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Griffin, Adam Campbell

Just Friends (2005)
Vital Statistics
Dir(s) Roger Kumble
Writer(s) Adam Davies
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris

Man of the House (2005)
Vital Statistics
Dir(s) Stephen Herek
Writer(s) Matthew Stone, John J. McLaughlin, Robert Ramsey
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Christina Milian, Cedric the Entertainer

Review
Without wanting to state the obvious - but going to do so anyway - teen comedies are not, on the whole, aimed at movie critics and reviewers. The acting in them is rarely above average, the comedy can be crude, vulgar and offensive. They are not all bad, some can surprise you, and they are, after all, movies and they must be reviewed (ignoring them is not an option) every job has its downsides - of which Date Movie is most certainly one.

Date Movie is written by 2 of the six writers of Scary Movie. If that brief introduction did not warn you off the film, here is a less subtle approach. This film is awful, so awful that this reviewer could not even brave the last 20 minutes. Occasionally you may smirk or even smile but it isn’t worth it for the sheer boredom and disgust that the rest of the film offers. There is no point even entering into the plot which spoofs the likes of reality to shows to Kill Bill and Meet the Fockers. The only thing left to comment upon is Alyson Hannigan, who showed such promise and ability in Buffy the Vampire Slayer - may her career rest in peace.

The humour of Just Friends and Man of the House are two teen movies very different from both each other and Date Movie. Just Friends is aimed at the mid to older teen market (more sex jokes) whilst Man of the House is aimed at the younger teens (less sex jokes.)

The star of Just Friends is not the two leads (Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart) but Anna Faris as the self proclaimed lover of Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds stars as Chris Brander, a formerly fat, unlucky in love, who becomes a smooth operating player after the love-of-his-life Amy (I’m boring but pretty) Smart does not reciprocate his love at the high school prom. Years later, after the transformation from fat-to-fit, Reynolds is trapped in his home town, with Smart still there, having gone no where with her life.

The humour of Just Friends is halfway between Date Movie and Man of the House, it isn’t a spoof (so no worries there) but it is a little crude and the humour can be in your face. Reynolds is OK but Smart is boring and that is where the problem lies. Reynolds character is supposed to love Smart’s, but she is boring, one could go into the psychological aspects of Brander not being able to let go of his past - but it isn’t that type of film it is a film where her being attractive is reason enough. The films saving grace is Anna Faris, who is highly amusing as the hyperactive, self-obsessed, celebrity sending up all those wannabe divas out there. Just Friends is an amusing date movie but like the majority of teen movies it feels like it has been churned out of a factory, that said it does have its moments, just not often enough.

In Man of the House Tommy Lee Jones stars as Roland Sharp, a Texas Ranger who has to protect five cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. Jones does his trade mark gruff, hard-exterior, soft-interior performance; and the idea of putting this into a film with five very attractive cheerleaders’ works surprisingly well. Jones looks, unsurprisingly, like he is enjoying every moment as he becomes a surrogate dad to the cheerleaders whilst learning how to become a real dad to his 17 year old daughter. The five cheerleaders, led by singer-turned-actress, Christina Milian are not as forgettable as on might expect; there are no performances that are of particular note but likewise there are none which are below average. Where Man of the House excels over Date Movie and Just Friends is in its accessibility, this is a teen movie with a heart and it also benefits from lacking the crudeness, vulgarity and obscenities that feature in the other two films. Nothing new, nothing special but nothing bad either.

Star Rating
Date Movie - does not even deserve a star, it is below stardom, minus stars, it gives stars to films who don’t normally deserve stars because it is that bad.
Just Friends - 2 stars
Man of the House - 2½ stars

Trivia
It took 4 hours just to make the 12 pound face on Ryan Reynolds. (source imdb.com)