Whatever It Takes (2000)

Ryan Woodman (Shane West) and Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff) are best friends and neighbors. Floyd (Aaron Paul) is their slacker friend. Ryan is obsessed with high school goddess Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Big man on campus Chris Campbell (James Franco) wants to get the one he can't get, the virginal enigmatic Maggie. So he needs Ryan to Cyrano DeBergerac for him. In return he proposes to do the same for Ryan with his cousin Ashley.The biggest problem is that Shane West is way too good looking for the loser role. They need somebody much more geeky, and a bad haircut really doesn't make it. It's nothing offensive, but it just can't rise above the clichés. It's obvious where this is going, and it has an uncomfortable time getting there.

I'm normally a big fan of the teen comedy. I loved "Can't Hardly Wait" for instance, and many other movies in the genre. This one, however, left me pretty bored. The acting was very forced, especially from James Franco, which surprised me. None of the main characters had any real chemistry, and the storyline was tried and contrived--two guys scheme together to get two girls. I had a hard time believing that a seemingly sharp and slightly cynical girl like Maggie could fall for Chris' awkward attempts to impress her. I don't see a girl like that falling for romance and poetry unless it was really authentic, and I certainly cannot imagine that she would actually fall for his obvious act. As for the other lead girl, Ashley, she was just difficult to watch all together, not to mention that she was far less attractive than Maggie, and even the girls who played her friends. The only other character that I found entertaining was Ryan's mischievous sidekick, Floyd. If you really feel like watching a good teen comedy, go for something like "Orange County" or even "Clueless". "Whatever it Takes" does not have what it takes.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (2000) * Shane West, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Marla Sokoloff, James Franco, Aaron Paul, Colin Hanks, Kip Purdue, Julia Sweeney, Richard Schiff. Charmless and brainless umpteenth remake of all of John Hughes' teenager in love flicks with alleged comedy take on 'Cyrano De Bergerac' of all blasphemes! West and Franco form an unlikely alliance to help the other win over the girl of their dreams, yada yada yada.Babelicious O' Keefe is put through the ringer and humiliation but her character deserves it and for that matter the rest of the cast and particular the talentless director David Raynor who wouldn't recognize subtlety and nuance if it bit him on the ass!

Whatever It Takes believe it or not was acucatlly pretty good. The film has a good script which makes the film believeable and funny. Shane West and James Franco as the leads complient each other and if I was still a dumb high school guy blinded by beauty and popularity I'd do the same thing they did. Jodi Lynn O'Keffe and Marla Spkloff are good as the the female leads and the film does feature more hot girls. Another good to waste a afternoon.