I Love You, Beth Cooper

Come on, this is a high school comedy the way they used to do them back in the '80s! This is not John Hughes territory, as you might be led to believe upon seeing "Home Alone" director Chris Columbus at the helm. No, this is another breed of '80s comedy. This is more "Three O'Clock High" than "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your taste. The humor here is broad and unsophisticated, for the most part, but fits with the brisk pacing and sunny tone of the film. This movie invites you to have a good time along with the cast. It throws you in the middle of a heightened reality/unlikely scenario (most geeks do not suddenly grow a pair and profess their love for the hottest girl in school during their valedictorian speech) and beckons you to simply enjoy the ride. While the films of John Hughes endeavor to depict a realistic panoramic view into the teenage mind, taking stereotypes and turning them inside out, this film, and its grandaddy "Three O'Clock High" do not carry such aspirations. They are fantasy, pure and true, and are all about having a good time. If the characters are two dimensional, so what? If the plot is threadbare, so what? Character development and story arc are not reasons to see a movie like "I Love You Beth Cooper." This is just a classic homespun yarn, taking place in Anywhere, USA, about a geek who outsmarts a bully and gets the girl. If you expected more, you're going to be disappointed. This is the kind of movie that could work just as well as a cartoon. It's a zippy, predictable ride from point A to point B, but the journey is not lacking in entertainment value. If you, like me, are a fan of "Three O'Clock High" and on many-a-day would watch it over "Bueller," then you're in for a treat because this is practically a remake albeit with the addition of a love interest.

By my recollection this is only the second high school wide release film of the year (the other being the equally unoriginal 17 Again). Yet, despite it not being worn thin this year, the high school genre needs major help. It's a time of life that is of significance to everyone. Obviously, for some it is much more prominent than for some others. But at that time, the world seems magnified as never before. Why has no film been able to even come close to capturing that sentiment? Of course there are some that are brilliant The Last Picture Show, Dead Poet's Society, than there's ones that don't really have all that much to do with high school like Rushmore, Boyz N' the Hood, and oldies like Rebel Without A Cause and a huge collection from the 1980's with Say Anything being the strongest of the bunch, but over the course of cinematic history this genre, more than any other, has been completely butchered. The last ten years has been the worst. The main problem is that every high school film has it in their head that there is this hierarchy that simply does not exist. I don't know if it ever did, but in my life and my frequent conversations with others on the topic it has been confirmed that it doesn't. Perhaps, in the 1980's there was such division. There were these groups of nerds, jocks, losers, weirdos and, well, the "it" girls. Maybe these groups collided in the ways we still see in films, you know, swirlies, and locking freshman in lockers, and wedgies too. Jocks are always dumb. Always. Nerds are always picked on and they never ever get the girl. Ask Duckie. "It" girls are vicious, hate everyone, especially their parents and their best friend, they usually have a really bad life and that's why they hate everyone and all they want is someone to listen to them. Losers are stupid too, like jocks. Pretty much you're either stupid or a nerd getting your ass kicked. Thing is, high school is nothing like that. Valedictorians are not always nerds. They don't even always give speeches at graduation commencement – I know, what about that mandatory valedictorian speech scene. Jocks can be smart. Yes, a human can exist that is both athletic and academic. I've seen it myself. I know, they might have to reinvent the whole formula. Nerds sometimes drink alcohol other than on the last day of high school. Yeah, I know, I don't know how that required "nerdy kid" cutting loose scene is going to happen then either. Sure, they're are groups in high school. Some kids you're friends with and others you're not. Sure some kids are smart and some are good at sports but it seldomly if ever defines their entire being. Thing is, adolescents are not one-dimensional people that resemble how they're represented in the twenty year formula that Hollywood has been using, subbing in new role players as they age. The fact that nothing that happens in I Love You, Beth Cooper would ever happen in real life isn't that big of a deal if not for the fact that a good movie about the topic deserves to be made. One not at a boarding school, one that doesn't involve drug addiction, one that doesn't involve being in a gang – one that is just a simple story of what it is really like at that moment when life is changing for everyone you know. That decisions that you're too young to be making end up dictating the years of your life that you haven't really even thought out. Where's that film? It could still be funny. It could still have a beautiful actress on the poster. It would certainly make more money that I Love You, Beth Cooper will. That film doesn't exist during any moment of Beth Cooper. Nor does a plot-line you haven't seen, a character you ever met in real life nor one you haven't met in film, an original line of dialogue, or anything than justifies its existence as cinema.

E @ A Reel Perspective

After seeing a trailer that seemed to have promise I was rather surprised at how much this film lacked any laughs. This fault lies with the directing and editing. The actors seemed to give performances up to that of any other teen comedy, but the timing of the whole movie was off.....and in comedy, timing is everything! The fact that the story has little character set-up and uses every cliché stolen from numerous comedies before it does not help the ill paced scenes.

I managed to leave the theater without requesting my money back, but you know when people in the audience are having full conversations during a film, it is hardly holding anyone's attention.

Pass at the B.O. and only rent it on DVD if you have an unlimited plan and are running out of things to see.

A nerdy valedictorian proclaims his love for the hottest and most popular girl in school – Beth Cooper – during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life...

That was the plot of the story. I was very surprised at the things Hayden did on screen as Beth Cooper. I mean she acts so mature in all her interviews & is a good role model for so many young girls. Why did she do what she did in the movie. I mean, the nude scene & some cussing. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. She looked very young to be a valedictorian & the nerd, Denis Cooverman, frankly looked like he was 30 (& he is 30) & it was very uncomfortable seeing him with her on screen. I know she's not a schoolgirl, but she sure looks like it.

All those things aside, this is a very fun movie. This is not going to be one of those high school film classics, by any mean, but I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching this. The ending scene with Beth & Dennis on the lake & she's expressing her fear of the unknown in front of her was very moving. Who wouldn't feel like that at least slightly when they are as popular as Beth Cooper was in high school.

I love Hayden Panettiere in the TV series HEROES & I liked her performance here. They should have put a younger actor with her to play Denis.

7/10

Now the way I'm reading all these comments on IMDb, people are acting like this was absolutely the worst movie of all time. Honestly, I love you Beth Cooper is not going to be one of those high school movie classics by no mean, but I didn't feel like my time was wasted watching it. As predictable and silly as it was, I still think this was a decent enough movie that got a few good laughs. I mean, who hasn't wanted to go all out on their high school class and just mock them on the last day of school? Not to mention get the hottie of their dreams in the same night that has them just living life to it's fullest. I think that over all the film worked, there were certain things that were flawed in the movie like the script could have used a few touch up's here and there and the cast did seem a little off. Paul Rust, it's kind of disturbing that he not only looks but is 28 years old and then you have Hayden Panettiere who looks 12 years old, it was a little… well, you get the idea. But still I think I love you Beth Cooper had it's moments enough to make you just sit back and forget reality for 95 minutes.

When a geeky high-school valedictorian throws caution to the wind by expressing his love for a popular cheerleader during his graduation speech, life finally starts to get interfering for Denis Cooverman who may have brains to spare; it's guts that he lacks, or at least, he did until today. Stepping up to the podium to deliver an inspirational speech to his graduating class, Denis decides that the time has finally come to call out his classmates on their peccadilloes and declare his love for the prettiest girl in school, Beth Cooper. Much to Denis' surprise, Beth responds by accepting an invitation to a party at his house later that day. But Beth's meat head boyfriend Kevin is none-too-pleased that his high school prize is mingling with the biggest dweeb in school, and when Kevin shows up at his house and tears the place apart in a fit of rage Denis, his best friend Rich, Beth, and her friends Cammy and Treece all pile into Beth's car and flee for their lives. For four long years Denis sat silently behind Beth in class, pining for a way to make his love known. Now, over the course of one long night, Denis will finally get to know the girl of his dreams better than he ever thought possible. If he manages to survive until morning, it's sure to be the story of a lifetime.

There were times that I absolutely laughed out loud like when Beth's psycho boyfriend kept going after Denis and just beating the heck out of him each time. Also seeing how Denis was reacting to all of Beth's "flaws" as a law breaking crazy party girl that he never imagined, only the sick fantasy as he has her picture blown up and taped over his bed. I think just the cast, the script and the characters needed work in order for this to be a great movie and that's why everyone is freaking out and saying how this is the most horrendous movie ever, either that or they're taking it too seriously. I think if you just let go and have a good time, you'll get a few laughs out of this movie, it's all in good fun and sometimes we need those silly high school flicks to either fantasize or bring us back to the good old days where getting a pimple at prom seems to be your scariest problem in the world. I love you Beth Cooper is worth the watch but more so wait for the rental vs. theater, it's just an average teen comedy.

6/10