Never Been Kissed

Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Jeremy Jordan, Garry Marshall, Sean Whalen, Jessica Alba, Cress Williams, Octavia Spencer, James Franco,
Directed by: Raja Gosnell
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A timid reporter (Drew Barrymore) goes undercover at a high school. She struggles with the assignment, as she remembers the difficult time she had when she attended high school.

Review:

Tim: Never Been Kissed just isn't a good movie. There might have been a decent idea buried somewhere in the script, but the execution is so poor, this could only been chalked up as a failure. The movie feels longer than its 1 hour, 47 minute duration. It's not funny, it's not particularly entertaining, and it feels like a waste of time.

The script as a whole was just poorly written. There's too many plot holes and logic gaps. One of the biggest issues if that Josie Geller is a pretty big loser, and the popular high school students don't like her. Based on a few pieces of absurd gossip that even a high schooler would be skeptical of, she suddenly becomes cool and one of the in-crowd. It was one of the most absurd transformations I've seen in a film like this. There was no logic behind it. It happened because it needed to happen for the sake of the script, not because any of those actions were in the least bit plausible. This is one of dozens of examples of lazy script writing. This film was doomed from the start because there's almost no intelligent in the script. This is a lowest common denominator film for people who like their entertainment mindless (not even stupid, just mindless). It's a corny, hokey movie.

This is a shame, because buried in this bland, unfunny film is an interesting idea. A girl who had a rough time in high school gets the opportunity to do high school over again. I love that idea- what will be different, what is the same? What would it be like for an adult, with experience and some wisdom to covertly be in a situation with significantly younger, impressionable people? None of this is explored in the least. Josie was a loser the first time and she's a loser again. I don't mean that to sound as harsh as it sounds. She has no confidence and almost no social skills. Clearly, she's learned very little in the years and years since she graduated high school. She makes the same mistakes over and over and once again, is accepted by no one. The only way she can achieve any of her goals is through the help of her brother, who has to constantly lie about who she is. Rather than the character of Josie winning over her enemies because of who she is, she rises to the top based on fabrications about herself. That is being a loser. It's painful to watch her awkward encounters, as she continually learns nothing. We're supposed to believe she's changed at the end of the film, which apparently happens in about 5 minutes at the Prom. The whole thing is just idiotic. I don't even want to mention her brother, who somehow also forges an ID and enrolls in the school, also pretending to be a high school student. I just have to roll my eyes at the mindlessness of it all.

Now, while this movie sucks, there are a few redeeming qualities. One is the surprisingly emotional flashback to Josie Geller's Prom night. I found that truly sad and a vivid example of how cruelty can painfully afflict young people. I hated that scene, but my heart went out to her. I actually felt something for that character for the first time. The other big plus are a few supporting cast members, who gave strong performances amid the sinking ship. John C. Reilly is very good as Josie's boss. Leelee Sobieski was believable as a nerdy but kind high school student. Even Michael Vartan was decent as the sympathetic English teacher. Those performances helped the film.

Drew Barrymore, on the other hand, was more annoying than anything else. Her performance was forced and embarrassing. David Arquette was okay, but his character just wasn't believable. Molly Shannon was shockingly not annoying. I don't know if I've ever said that before. Jessica Alba showed off her lack of acting ability. It was fun seeing James Franco in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him role. The majority of the cast was average.

Never Been Kissed isn't a good movie at all. It took a decent idea and completely botched the execution. Don't even get me started on the completely ineffective, cliched, predictable conclusion at the ballpark. It was a fittingly idiotic end to a bad movie. This film has a few redeeming qualities, but they are barely recognizable amid all the problems.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Superstar