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DVD REVIEW FOR
"NEVER BEEN KISSED"

(1999) (Drew Barrymore, David Arquette) (PG-13)

Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides
107 minutes Letterbox (2.35:1) English English
Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1 1

PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW

VIDEO:
(A) Other than some aliasing/shimmer that’s evident on some mini-blinds and some outdoor brick walls, as well as the occasional tendency for the reds to be just a tad oversaturated (but not too badly), this disc’s picture looks great. Featuring an incredibly sharp picture and otherwise good use of colors, viewers won’t be disappointed in how this disc looks to the eye.
AUDIO:
(A) As is the case with most romantic comedies, this is a dialogue and song/score dominated audio track. Beyond a few limited sound/spatial effects, the rest is sharp sounding dialogue and CD-quality sounding songs and accompanying musical score that are pleasing to the ear.
EXTRAS:
  • Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
  • Theatrical trailer.
  • COMMENTS:
    Nearly everyone, at some point in their lives, has looked back on their past and thought, "If I only knew then what I know now," particularly relating to their often turbulent high school years. With such hindsight and a time machine, one could go back and pay more attention and thus get better grades, participate more and definitely be more popular.

    While such thoughts are probably foreign to teens who haven't had the experience and/or time to develop such personal reflections, that's somewhat of the thrust behind "Never Been Kissed," the latest teen-based romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore.

    A mostly enjoyable, but extremely flimsy romantic comedy that crumbles under the slightest scrutiny, the film somewhat succeeds, but only due to the sheer charm and winning ways of lead actress Barrymore ("Ever After," "Home Fries"). Perfectly portraying the geek character in a funny and endearing fashion, Barrymore is the only reason to see this film that without her would otherwise be instantly forgettable.

    Quite similar in structure to the 1985 film, "Just One of the Guys" where another aspiring female journalist similarly goes undercover at a high school -- this time in the guise of a male student -- this picture doesn't offer nearly as many complications -- comedic or romantic -- and plods along with only a few moderately entertaining moments.

    The most notable and successful of them involve flashbacks to Josie's early high school years as well as a scene set in the present where she unknowingly manages to have the word "loser" printed on her forehead as she walks around her high school much to the delight of the other students. Unfortunately, such moments are few and far between.

    The film is also reminiscent of a plot element from "Peggy Sue Got Married" where Kathleen Turner gets to return to her own high school years (via a time traveling dream) and relive them through an adult's perspective. Sadly, director Raja Gosnell ("Home Alone 3") who works from a less than inspired script from first-time screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, has only included one such joke and subsequently wasted a great deal of comic potential.

    Of course to be fair, Barrymore's character is only seven years out of high school and hasn't changed her clumsy, geeky ways. Nonetheless, the filmmakers could have used that comic potential, but instead have let it slip through their cinematic fingers. Similarly, they thus miss the chance for the film to play better to audiences long since graduated, as well as the potential for showing how high school life changed over the years (although they do briefly include a shot of some hallway metal detectors).

    What's really missing, though, is the much needed comedic and romantic complications that would have made the film much better. While some minor ones are marginally present -- Josie and her teacher fall for each other and there's the constant, but barely used threat of her and her brother's identities being discovered, there's just not that much present to keep things interesting.

    At least in "Just One of the Guys" there was the constant need for the protagonist to hide her gender, as well as plenty of romantic complications involving her initial boyfriend and another guy she falls for who thinks she's really a guy herself. Alas, little of that fun material is present here.

    Instead, we're treated to more stereotypical, snobby and otherwise one-dimensional student characters and some unbelievable moments such as director Garry Marshal as the newspaper's editor who assigns a copywriter to do a major story, an English Literature teacher presiding over a sex-ed class to name just a few, and the newspaper wiring Jessie with a miniature surveillance camera so that they can watch her every move.

    Beyond Barrymore's fun take, the film's other performances are delivered with mixed results. David Arquette ("Ravenous," the "Scream" films) has fun with his character's return to high school, while Molly Shannon ( TV's "Saturday Night Live"), John C. Reilly ("Boogie Nights") and Michael Vartan ("The Myth of Fingerprints") are all adequate, but certainly not very memorable in their roles.

    The only standout is Leelee Sobieski ("Deep Impact," "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries") who continues to look ever more like a young Helen Hunt with every subsequent film (and is a shoo-in for "Mad About You: The Early Years" should that ever be made). Portraying a smart and confident young woman, Sobieski is a breath of fresh air in a sea of otherwise unremarkably stereotypical teen roles and performances.

    Nonetheless, Barrymore's oozing charisma, charm and the ability to laugh at herself in a less than glamorous role makes up for much of the film's deficiencies. Despite its predictable, romantic comedy nature, and its structural problems and lackluster plot development, the film still manages to be somewhat guiltily entertaining and even manages to throw in an effective, sentimental ending. Certain to please less-discerning die-hard romantic comedy fans, the film is enjoyable in its own lightweight, bubble-gum way, but could and should have been much better.

    As far as the DVD presentation itself, both the aural and visual components are topnotch, but the supplemental materials -- a lone theatrical trailer -- aren’t particularly noteworthy and certainly not as good as what other titles are providing nowadays.

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