By Remy Bailard
Managing Editor
New movie “He’s All That” marks itself as being the newest, most cringe-worthy Netflix original since “The Kissing Booth.”
Although some solid references were made to the original 1999 film “She’s All That,” the poor acting and overproduced script of the remake fails to live up to the standards set forth by the classic.
“He’s All That” is directed by Mark Waters and stars Addison Rae as Padgett Sawyer and Tanner Buchanan as Cameron Kweller.
The film follows Padgett, a beauty influencer, who makes a bet with her friends to give Cameron, the school’s biggest loner, the ultimate make over. Along the way, Padgett really gets to know Cameron as a person, and he no longer is just a bet to her.
The entirety of the film feels sporadic, causing a disconnection with the audience. None of the scenes feel cohesive, making the whole movie feel very choppy and unfinished. Although the scenes carry the same plotline, there isn’t enough time in each of the scenes for viewers to really connect with the characters.
Buchanan, playing Cameron, helped to slightly revive the film with his exceptional acting skills. He was able to embody his character and play two completely different personalities, making the character of Cameron the only one with some substance. Buchanan could simultaneously tackle emotion and humor within a very lackluster script.
The chemistry between Rae and Buchanan added to the plot of the film, despite many of its discrepancies. Although Rae’s acting in her solo scenes were mediocre at best, her scenes with Buchanan come off more naturally and feel less structured. Though Rae appears to be stiff and uncomfortable in most of the scenes, Buchanan’s presence in a few scenes appears to be relieving to Rae.
The run time of “He’s All That” was ultimately short in length, which gave the film an unfinished feel. Green screens were used in many of the scenes, and the audience can even see some of the characters’ arms disappear as they move, showing that there was an enormous lack of attention to detail. This further created a disconnection within the audience because instead of further immersing themselves into the storyline, audience members were focused on all the imperfections of the film, taking away the important message of the film and giving it a comical tone.
Although “He’s All That” gave a feel of the classic in a more modernistic way, it was evident that the film lacked detail. Furthermore, the acting and script were average at most, and failed to live up to the memorable characters, superb acting, and fantastic plot line of the original movie titled “She’s All That.”
Released to Netflix on Aug. 25, “He’s All That” is rated TV-14 and is available to be streamed on Netflix.
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