Slap Her, She's French!

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie a few years ago and wanting to see it. It was originally supposed to come out in the summer of 2002, but ended up sitting on the shelf for a while. A few months ago, I caught it on the ABC Family Channel under the title SHE GETS WHAT SHE WANTS. While SLAP HER...SHE'S FRENCH is a much better title, I can see why it was changed. I guess it's not very PC, but then again, the movie itself isn't very PC, which is one of the reasons I liked it. It wasn't afraid to be a bit edgy. In addition to being edgy, the film is also quite over-the-top at times. While some may be bothered by the over-the-top scenes, I enjoyed them. They fit in well with the tone of the picture.

This is the the kind of movie MEAN GIRLS wanted to be. When one thinks about it, it's somewhat unfair that MEAN GIRLS got a theatrical release while this went straight-to-television since this is far superior. It's far better than most teen comedies that have come out in the past few years. **1/2

Many of the negative reviews of this film are obviously written by francophiles who have had their feathers ruffled by the original title and apparently haven't actually seen the movie. Slap her She's French makes fun of generically American and more specifically Texan culture, FAR more than the French. I was delighted(and surprised)to find this a very well acted and cleverly written teen comedy that provided a vehicle for showcasing the talents of a number of young actresses. The film does stereotype and titillate but it is a teen comedy and they tend to do that. Those who are offended by such things should consider therapy to get over themselves or simply avoid this genre. Personally I was too busy laughing to be bothered.

Like most people I groaned when I saw the trailer and, ahem, the title for this movie. But I rented the DVD on a whim and hey, turns out this is pretty darn funny after all.

It's not subtle, but it is good fun, which is more than can be said for other teen comedies from 2002. The two leading ladies are genuine stars of the future (McGregor is that rare breed of beautiful actress who isn't afraid to humiliate herself for the sake of comedy) and some of the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny.

If you liked Drop Dead Gorgeous or The New Guy, you'll love this.

I don't think that this movie has aspirations to greatness, but it was enjoyable enough, and has some very good performances.

Top of the list for me was Jane McGregor. She really gave her all in playing Starla who was, after all, not a particularly sympathetic character. She has a real flair for comedy - at the tender age of 19 - and is very attractive as well. I will be looking out for Jane's work in future.

I also enjoyed the minor role from the little brother, not too overdone, and the mother with the ever present "iced tea".

Overall, a pleasant diversion, fairly lightweight, but with some good work from the cast.

I saw this movie back in 2002 when it came out, luckily I went to the cheap theater. Imagine my surprise when I saw a preview on ABC for a new movie, the "Premiere," they were saying. I watched the preview and the more times I saw it the more I insisted to family and friends that I had seen this film. They pointed out it was an "ABC Family Original," and this was the premiere, no way could I have seen it. Raunchy cheerleader moves, flippy hair, French student, girly cat fight, lots of posturing in front of mirrors, yeah I've seen this movie. However, ABC decided to get a little more PC (guess we're on better terms with France,) and they changed the title to "She Gets What She Wants."