He's all that, review: the remake of Kiss Me

He's all that, review

Time to remake for the world of streaming, not only with the title arriving on Cinderella's Prime Video, but also on Netflix there is no left behind on this front, proposing from August 27 He's all that, a contemporary and decidedly glossy reinterpretation of the film of over twenty years ago, Kiss me (She's All That in original). If the film of the time had a cast composed of faces mostly unknown to the general public, with the exception of the late Paul Walker, this re-release does not rise to greater levels of notoriety and brings to our screens a decidedly sparkling teen drama, but at times superficial . Directed by Mark Waters, former father of Mean Girls and La revolt delle ex, the literary adaptation of the Pygmalion of the original title is lost here completely, leaving behind any literary quotation. The more cultured you can find will be beauty and makeover "tips'n'tricks", but let's find out more together in our review what awaits you.

He's all that, between social networks and appearances

The plot of He's all that is as simple as it can be, nothing transcendental, although in recent times teen dramas have been they are also populating with interesting titles and able to deal with slightly more profound and particular themes, including series and films, such as Skam Italia, The end of the f ***** g world and others. Here, however, we are in a world where appearance is everything, and not only in real life but also and above all on social media, as the tiktoker Addison Rae teaches us, whose role is dressed by the actress in her debut film Padgett Sawyer. Suffering from direct social media, just during one of these the betrayal of her by her boyfriend is filmed live, humiliating her and even leading her to lose the support of the brand she was aimed at on social media.

All because of a meme that went viral. Subsequently, however, it will be the "contest" launched by Addison and her friends, as a personal challenge, to act as a turning point in history, bringing the girl to meet Cameron Kweller, a nerd "loser" passionate about horse riding and street photography, who becomes the one chosen for the rebirth that awaits him, from ugly duckling to swan, thanks to the work of our influencer. How will it end? We do not give you too many previews, except that the plot will not prove to be particularly full of twists and breathtaking and unimaginable moments.

A film devoid of bite and originality

As anticipated, in fact, compared to the original title, this version is presented in modest guise, avoiding a more "committed" narration if we want, to leave room to more attentive aspects from an aesthetic point of view, such as the detailed care of the visual sector and some scenic references to Kiss Me, but everything leads to comparing He's all that with a rather large plethora of films and series not particularly memorable or noteworthy . The title in question certainly lends itself to a youthful vision, without particular important issues and valid and profound food for thought, risking to appear as a title that will not be able to leave a trace in the memory of the spectators.

How if that weren't enough, the clichés present in the film are not few and indeed make it possible for each scene to easily guess what will happen in the one to follow, chasing a string of romantic, superficial stereotypes and rather flat and obvious acting on the part of the actors. Of course, there is no shortage of cameos either, such as the return of Rachael Leigh Cook, here as Padgett's single mother as a stressed and overworked nurse. In this film, however, his role is not fundamental, if only to create a sort of très d'union between the two films.

Finally, from a purely technical point of view, He's All That was shot with a certain visual care, as anticipated, giving the feeling that the entire set has been equipped with ring-light, not for nothing much loved by influencers. We could perhaps identify the greatest possible result to be achieved thanks to this film in its potential ability to send younger viewers back to the discovery of the 1999 original, still today a representative title of the entertaining, and often biting, satire of adolescents of the age. MTV straddles Generation X and Y.

In conclusion

He's all that did not convince us, failing to mark the collective imagination of the generation it tries to address in the first place , for lack of a plot with a certain bite. A title probably devoid of emerging stars, unlike the film of over twenty years ago and not revealing what the latter had been: a cult of the teenage generation of the time. Overall, it is about an hour and a half of history where even the message that would like to be communicated, that is to remain faithful to oneself and not to change by the will of others, appears clearly forced, an almost facade pourparler, banal and rhetorical, void of true profound meaning.

We weren't convinced by this title that it is going to fill the already rather dense and extensive library of the streaming giant, but did we really need it? A vision therefore recommended for those who feel the need to spend 90 minutes of superficiality, acting far from excellence and a reprise of the model of the classic teen movies of the 2000s.