Plot
A high school girl must find a substitute date to escort her to the prom.
Release Year: 1999
Rating: 5.2/10 (8,188 voted)
Critic's Score: 42/100
Director:
John Schultz
Stars: Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier, Stephen Collins
Storyline Nicole Maris is a popular high school preppy senior in Utah who gets her life turned upside down when her perfect date, Brad, falls for a cute cheerleader from another school a month before the school's centennial senior prom. After recovering from the shock, Nicole comes up with a solution to save her reputation: find a guy to appear like they're going steady and to take her to the dance hoping to make Brad jealous. Nicole then hooks up with her next door neighbor, prankster and trouble maker Chase Hammond, and tries to model him in her own image while he's looking to make his long-term girlfriend Dulcie jealous too. However, both Nicole and Chase don't expect their charade to lead it where they never expected it to.
Writers: Todd Strasser, Rob Thomas
Cast: Melissa Joan Hart
-
Nicole Maris
Adrian Grenier
-
Chase Hammond
Stephen Collins
-
Mr. Maris
Mark Metcalf
-
Mr. Rope
William Converse-Roberts
-
Mr. Hammond
Faye Grant
-
Mrs. Maris
Susan May Pratt
-
Alicia DeGasario
Kris Park
-
Ray Neeley
Ali Larter
-
Dulcie
Mark Webber
-
Dave Ednasi
Gabriel Carpenter
-
Brad Seldon
Lourdes Benedicto
-
Chloe Frost
Keri Lynn Pratt
-
Dee Vine
Natasha Pearce
-
Sue Ryan
Derrick Shore
-
Tom
Taglines:
The last guy she wants is the only one she needs.
Filming Locations: Foothill Boulevard, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $8,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $6,846,112
(USA)
(3 October 1999)
(2220 Screens)
Gross: $22,593,409
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The Donnas were formerly called The Electrocutes.
Goofs:
Continuity:
The length of Nicole's hair is different when she is on the school news from when she is at school watching the news. The news was supposedly filmed the same day (as you can see, since she is wearing the same shirt), but her hair is clearly a different length.
Quotes: Chase:
Why are you telling me this? I'm your past tense quasi-boyfriend, not the American people. Dulcie:
Well, what I'm trying to say, is that both the tense and title are negotiable.
User Review
A film with heart and wit
Rating: 10/10
This film seems to have provoked a lot of irritation. Personally, I can't
see why. I feel it's a
classic teen drama with a lot of heart and some very fleshed-out
performances. Another
poster got it right when they compared it to Sixteen Candles, Breakfast
Club
and other teen
dramas.
To criticise the norms of the genre is pointless: it's like complaining
that
a slasher pic has too
much blood and gore. It's a teen high-school drama, *of course* it's going
to have jocks vs.
geeks, pivotal parties and the leads getting together in the final fade.
We
all know the
destination, it's the journey that counts.
And I'd say that journey is pretty wonderful. The film gripped me in the
first few minutes. I
expected Melissa Joan Hart to turn in a mannered, 'Clueless'-type
performance, a pastiche of
popular girl gets a heart. But in fact, there was a lot more light and
shade
to her character,
she didn't just flip from one stereotype to another. I thought the whole
cast turned in sterling
performances. Perhaps they were too good and the naysayers have forgotten
these people
aren't actually jocks and geeks?
Whatever - I'm an old bloke who was touched by this film. It brought back
memories of the
hell / heaven of secondary school, of how important and fleeting those
relationships are. It
connected with me.
Not every film has to be 'Un Chien Andalou', you know...
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