This movie was apparently meant to be a silly teen comedy with a serious side, kind of like Mean Girls. They certainly tried hard, but they missed the mark. This movie has its enjoyable moments, but there are plenty of cringe moments as well.
First, what I liked. The friendship between the vengeful former girlfriends of John Tucker and our heroine Kate was good. You really felt the camaraderie, even though it was mainly based on the all-consuming goal of shafting John Tucker. I liked some of the messages, especially the message about being yourself and not trying to be somebody else. The performances were decent. I especially liked Brittany Snow's performance as Kate. She was likable and relatable, even when she was behaving less than nicely. She's also beautiful. I find it funny that the supposed nerd and outcast girls in some of these teen movies are more beautiful than the supposed hot girls. The comedy was kind of hit and miss, but there were a couple of genuinely funny parts.
Now, what I didn't like. It was ludicrous that they got the outcast girl with no experience in relationships to be the one who made John Tucker fall in love with her so that she could break his heart. All the coaching in the world from the 3 jilted ex-girlfriends of John couldn't make that one work. So much of the plotline was just unbelievable.
Also, they seemed to be going for making John a more sympathetic and relatable character, but it didn't work. If you're going to do this, you have to come up with a really compelling reason for him to be a serial cheater, and they really didn't. Even at the end, when he supposedly reforms and decides he will not lie to girls anymore, all it means is that he will just continue to date multiple girls, but will be "honest" about letting the girls know he is doing so. He basically remains a scumbag, from start to end, and receives little, if any comeuppance. You wish he'd either really gotten his just desserts, or that he had truly and sincerely turned over a new leaf.
I also didn't like the ambiguity of the ending. It implies that John really did love Kate, and that she also may have had feelings for him. But then, he just goes back to being a player, and she just decides to be his friend. Then you have John's brother Scott, who was a much better match for Kate, and you assumed that they would get together in the end. But no, all that happens is that they become lab partners again, with no indication that they will be dating. Very unsatisfying.
Then, there are the cringe scenes, such as the one where John is caught by the girls' coach, wearing only a woman's thong, or the scene where John does an exaggerated version of a woman on PMS after the girls slip him estrogen pills. These scenes were supposed to be funny, but they were just stupid.
So, if you are in the mood for a silly teen movie, this one will probably fit the bill, if you can overlook the cringe scenes and the unbelievable, unsatisfying plot.
First, what I liked. The friendship between the vengeful former girlfriends of John Tucker and our heroine Kate was good. You really felt the camaraderie, even though it was mainly based on the all-consuming goal of shafting John Tucker. I liked some of the messages, especially the message about being yourself and not trying to be somebody else. The performances were decent. I especially liked Brittany Snow's performance as Kate. She was likable and relatable, even when she was behaving less than nicely. She's also beautiful. I find it funny that the supposed nerd and outcast girls in some of these teen movies are more beautiful than the supposed hot girls. The comedy was kind of hit and miss, but there were a couple of genuinely funny parts.
Now, what I didn't like. It was ludicrous that they got the outcast girl with no experience in relationships to be the one who made John Tucker fall in love with her so that she could break his heart. All the coaching in the world from the 3 jilted ex-girlfriends of John couldn't make that one work. So much of the plotline was just unbelievable.
Also, they seemed to be going for making John a more sympathetic and relatable character, but it didn't work. If you're going to do this, you have to come up with a really compelling reason for him to be a serial cheater, and they really didn't. Even at the end, when he supposedly reforms and decides he will not lie to girls anymore, all it means is that he will just continue to date multiple girls, but will be "honest" about letting the girls know he is doing so. He basically remains a scumbag, from start to end, and receives little, if any comeuppance. You wish he'd either really gotten his just desserts, or that he had truly and sincerely turned over a new leaf.
I also didn't like the ambiguity of the ending. It implies that John really did love Kate, and that she also may have had feelings for him. But then, he just goes back to being a player, and she just decides to be his friend. Then you have John's brother Scott, who was a much better match for Kate, and you assumed that they would get together in the end. But no, all that happens is that they become lab partners again, with no indication that they will be dating. Very unsatisfying.
Then, there are the cringe scenes, such as the one where John is caught by the girls' coach, wearing only a woman's thong, or the scene where John does an exaggerated version of a woman on PMS after the girls slip him estrogen pills. These scenes were supposed to be funny, but they were just stupid.
So, if you are in the mood for a silly teen movie, this one will probably fit the bill, if you can overlook the cringe scenes and the unbelievable, unsatisfying plot.