Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper
Uber-nerd and class valedictorian
Dennis Cooverman (Paul Rust, who looks like a younger, nerdy Sean Penn) makes
the title proclamation during his big graduation speech. The way he figures it,
if he doesn’t let hottie cheerleader Beth Cooper (the totally overexposed Hayden
Panettiere playing her 1000th cheerleader) know how he feels about
her, he’ll never see her again and can’t live with that. He also manages to out
his best friend, played by Jack. T. Carpenter. In addition to Carpenter being unimpressed
by Cooverman’s outing him in front of everyone (He swears he’s not gay!
Honest!), Ms. Cooper wants to know why Cooverman would embarrass her like that
in front of everyone, though she also thinks it was sweet. And uh-oh, now here
comes her seriously buff, possibly psychotic boyfriend to stomp a mudhole in
him too. That night, Beth turns up at Cooverman’s door (he had previously
invited her to a supposed party), with her two best friends. And so it begins,
as a lot of crazy, wacky stuff happens too, especially when Beth’s coked-up
boyfriend comes looking for them, forcing the group to escape in Cooverman’s
dad’s car. Meanwhile, Beth and Cooverman start to get to know one another,
seeing if their expectations and conceptions of one another stack up to
reality. Cynthia Stevenson plays Cooverman’s overprotective mum, whilst Alan Ruck
plays his concerned but more relaxed dad.
Cute, harmless 2009 Chris Columbus
(“Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Home Alone”, and the first two- and best- “Harry
Potter” films) teen comedy isn’t another “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”,
despite a fun supporting role for Ruck. In fact, Ruck’s performance suggests
what Cameron might’ve been like a decade or so later, once he managed to calm
the hell down. Hell, it’s not even the equal of “The Girl Next Door” or “Superbad”,
but it’s still far from the worst modern teen comedy out there. I could’ve done
without the two anorexic chicks, though- were they actually supposed to be
funny? I found all their scenes really uncomfortable.
The charms of Ms. Panettiere still
elude me, but Rust is believable as the uber-dork (though his mannerisms will
get on the nerves of some), and Carpenter has a few funny moments as his
(probably gay) movie-referencing best pal. Points off for flubbing the year De
Palma’s “Scarface” was released, though. It doesn’t add up to all that
much, and you won’t remember much of it afterwards, but it’s pretty watchable.
Still, I think this is pretty minor for a Columbus film. Sure he’s a
mainstream, ‘safe’ filmmaker, but his comedies are usually funnier than this (“Mrs.
Doubtfire”, especially, but he also wrote the classic kids’ adventure-comedy
“The Goonies”). Scripted by Larry Doyle, from his own novel, I had zero
expectations going in (I didn’t know who directed it before watching it), which
probably helped a bit. It’s…OK I guess.
Rating: C+
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