Whatever It Takes

Whatever It Takes
Cast: Jody Lyn OKeefe
Studio: Columbia
Rating: 5/10

Have you ever had a crush on the most popular person in high school? If not, don’t bother reading any further. On the other hand, if you did, what did you do about it? In this case, with about a month to go before the prom, two guys agree to help each other out. Ryan, the geek, and Chris, the most popular guy in school. Their respective objects of desire are Ashley, who is the most popular girl in school and Chris’ cousin, and Maggie, a brainiac as well as Ryan’s neighbor and childhood best friend.

Reluctant at first, Ryan agrees to help the romantically challenged Chris woo his best friend. In turn, Chris introduces Ryan to the true high school female psyche. Both of them stumble, but it would appear their plan is working. However, toward the end, what seemed to be like a good idea in the beginning turns into a pseudo deal with the devil, at least from Ryan’s point of view.

“Whatever It Takes” shows you the ugly side of beauty and popularity and makes the little guy see that cool people have just as many flaws as the rest of the world. It plays on classic stereotypes (dumb blondes, stupid rich kids, socially incompatible nerds, etc.), but nevertheless proves that you should be happy with who you are, because not everything is as it seems.

Dubbed by some “a remake of the Cyrano De Bergerac tale,” this movie is about coming of age, friendship, deception, and young love. The plot, that is. The final product, however, suffers a bit as a result of a couple of overkill scenes that made the audience cringe. Still, it’s a lot of laughs.

I went in with the mindset of seeing a funny high school flick. And that’s what I got. The young cast proved to be so talented and versatile that you could tell they did everything they were told to. Jodi Lyn O’Keefe’s representation of the snooty beautiful rich girl made everyone hate her character, Ashley, by the end. Marla Sokoloff as Maggie made everyone believe that love, or the illusion of love, can blind even the smart ones at times. As for the two lead guys, Shane West as Ryan and James Franco as Chris, it was a pleasure watching them in action.

I am confident kids will love it, but only up to a certain age. Adults could end up enjoying it as well, but only if they clear their minds from their day to day worries and just sit back and reminisce.

+ Radu Puscas


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