I Love You, Beth Cooper (C or 2/4 stars)
You know what I'm sick of with movies lately ... the familiarity factor. Such is the case with 'I Love You, Beth Cooper', directed by Christopher Columbus. There are segments/lines of dialogue/scenarios here that I have seen before (and executed) better in a plethora of other movies. There are a few nice aspects of this film, but overall, it hugely disappoints (not that my expectations were high, anyway). The plot: its graduation day for the seniors of Buffalo Grove high, & nerdy valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) is about to deliver a not-so-inspirational graduation speech for all ages. In it, the normally gutless Denis calls out a girl with an eating disorder, the class bitch, some bullies, & then professes his unrequited love for head cheerleader, Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere, of Heroes); a girl, who, for 4 yrs., Denis sat quietly behind in class ... desperate to communicate with.
Denis' best pal, Rich (Jack T. Carpenter) is ecstatic with the speech, as it is he who instigated this confession of love in the first place. Beth doesn't know what to think. Sure, she's embarrassed. But she also finds it oddly sweet. Much to Denis' surprise, Beth responds by accepting an invitation to a party at his house later that evening, & actually shows up on his door, with 2 friends in tow, Cammy & Treece (Lauren London, Lauren Storm). But little did they know just how crazy things would get once Beth's drugged-out, jock boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts) hunts them down, & sets them fleeing for their lives (Kevin attacks Denis' house, Beth drives them recklessly around town, they break into their high school at night, they crash a popular party going on that evening, & they end up at a cabin in the woods). And during the course of the night, Beth & Denis discover things about themselves & each other that they were not expecting.
I hated the first 10 min. of the film SO much, that I thought it would be going for the old Zero rating (shows how much it redeems itself to get up to 2). Why I loathed 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' early on was because it seemed to be modeling itself - completely - on 1998's Can't Hardly Wait, a film I greatly enjoyed at the time (as I, too, was graduating from high school). Why can't films start being more original? Arghh, venting over. 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' is not altogether awful thanks to some astute teenage performances, some light humor, & an effective conversation had btwn. the 2 leads late in the film. Paul Rust (not a teen in real life) & Hayden Panettiere have good chemistry. And while crazy, stupid, ineffective plot points are flying around them throughout the movie, I still believed them. Who'd have thought that a film like this would have decent, dramatic dialogue btwn. its 2 leads?
Denis, the conscientious dork learns from Beth that it's ok to loosen up, break some rules, laugh, scream, break a curfew (17 is a young age ... enjoy childhood while you can), etc.. His idealized vision of Beth may not be real, but what he learns about her is more rewarding than his fantasy. And Beth, figuring herself to be merely pretty & popular, learns that it's ok to also have aspirations & goals in life. Denis helps bring this out of her. High school doesn't have to be the end of her rainbow. I liked that, a lot. I also appreciate that, again, while the plot is insanely stupid & familiar, it ends realistically. 2 romantic leads don't always have to end up together. There doesn't always have to be that gooey happily ever after to please the masses. I also enjoyed Denis' friend, Rich; if only 'cause he loved to quote lines from famous movies throughout the plot. So overall, 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' has an intermittently warm sense of humor, the acting is stellar, & there's an emotional hook - but it's bogged down/clogged up with too many annoying, dissonant, crass plot points to take any of it seriously.
Denis' best pal, Rich (Jack T. Carpenter) is ecstatic with the speech, as it is he who instigated this confession of love in the first place. Beth doesn't know what to think. Sure, she's embarrassed. But she also finds it oddly sweet. Much to Denis' surprise, Beth responds by accepting an invitation to a party at his house later that evening, & actually shows up on his door, with 2 friends in tow, Cammy & Treece (Lauren London, Lauren Storm). But little did they know just how crazy things would get once Beth's drugged-out, jock boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts) hunts them down, & sets them fleeing for their lives (Kevin attacks Denis' house, Beth drives them recklessly around town, they break into their high school at night, they crash a popular party going on that evening, & they end up at a cabin in the woods). And during the course of the night, Beth & Denis discover things about themselves & each other that they were not expecting.
I hated the first 10 min. of the film SO much, that I thought it would be going for the old Zero rating (shows how much it redeems itself to get up to 2). Why I loathed 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' early on was because it seemed to be modeling itself - completely - on 1998's Can't Hardly Wait, a film I greatly enjoyed at the time (as I, too, was graduating from high school). Why can't films start being more original? Arghh, venting over. 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' is not altogether awful thanks to some astute teenage performances, some light humor, & an effective conversation had btwn. the 2 leads late in the film. Paul Rust (not a teen in real life) & Hayden Panettiere have good chemistry. And while crazy, stupid, ineffective plot points are flying around them throughout the movie, I still believed them. Who'd have thought that a film like this would have decent, dramatic dialogue btwn. its 2 leads?
Denis, the conscientious dork learns from Beth that it's ok to loosen up, break some rules, laugh, scream, break a curfew (17 is a young age ... enjoy childhood while you can), etc.. His idealized vision of Beth may not be real, but what he learns about her is more rewarding than his fantasy. And Beth, figuring herself to be merely pretty & popular, learns that it's ok to also have aspirations & goals in life. Denis helps bring this out of her. High school doesn't have to be the end of her rainbow. I liked that, a lot. I also appreciate that, again, while the plot is insanely stupid & familiar, it ends realistically. 2 romantic leads don't always have to end up together. There doesn't always have to be that gooey happily ever after to please the masses. I also enjoyed Denis' friend, Rich; if only 'cause he loved to quote lines from famous movies throughout the plot. So overall, 'I Love You, Beth Cooper' has an intermittently warm sense of humor, the acting is stellar, & there's an emotional hook - but it's bogged down/clogged up with too many annoying, dissonant, crass plot points to take any of it seriously.