Toi, c'est moi

An up-tight, straight-A student swaps bodies with her diametrically opposite in the form of the popular quarter back. Antics unfold as the two are forced to (literally) spend sometime walking in the others shoes.

Variations of this theme have been done before in "Big", "All of me" and of course "Freaky Friday."

The format lives or dies by the actors and how effectively and how humorously they can enact the transposition.

It worked for me, the characters were interesting and I became embroiled in their personal issues. I also liked the actors and was impressed with their skill and the direction.

At the end of the day this is a teen flick which has to serve a specific audience. It has the obligatory dose of teen angst and goofy comedy. But this all works well and I found it highly enjoyable.

Good Film Flex fodder

I'm not going to lie, really the only reason I had any interest in It's a Boy Girl Thing was because my man candy Kevin Zegers was a main star. Having said that, I thought It's a Boy Girl Thing was genuinely and truly a funny, enjoyable and nice little film to watch. It was entertaining and though the main gist has been a bit butchered, they were able to come up with fresh material that became indisputably likable and I was very pleased with the outcome of this movie.

First of all, I thought the performances were believable and likable. Armstrong and Zegers have a cute chemistry and their individual performances were delightful. Even though the film is predictable, I really wasn't going to give it a hard time for that, because the performances are charming, the movie itself is well done and just a fun time, and I really don't think a film should be judged just because you know what's going to happen; it can still be satisfying and good fun. It's not meant to be an Oscar winning masterpiece, and it shows, but with the material they try to work with, they pull off a current, fun, teen rom-com.

In the end, It's a Boy Girl Thing is nonetheless just a nice film to watch from time to time if you enjoy it for what it is. Armstrong and Zegers, as well as all the supporting actors and actresses, look like they have a fun time giving pleasant and congenial performances. The material is fresh for a plot that's running out of ideas and the movie is just well done from start to finish. I am glad I had the chance to watch it.

The actors are mostly likable. The plot is amiable enough too. Thing is, it's been done before, and done much better. Consider Debbie Reynolds and Toni Curtis in 'Goodbye Charlie' (1964), or the Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin masterpiece, 'All of Me', where he acts out the movie while being possessed by a woman. Or one-hit-wonder Joyce Hyser's 'Just One of the Guys', where she becomes a guy (I forget why). Or the semi-good 'The Hot Chick', with the creepy Rob Schneider and the ever-so-hot babe, Anna Farris. All those movies explored the notion of girls and boys living in each other's bodies. Weener jokes, 'Hey, I got tits!' jokes, stumbling in high heels, 'delicate flower' young ladies belching at the formal dinner table, etc., etc. There is even a cinemagraphic grammar about that whole thing by now.

Not to say there wasn't some appeal here. The cast is likable. Although the dude did seem really, really gay, even when he was not being possessed by a girl, but supposedly his own male self. I couldn't tell the difference. But the young woman actor who had to play a guy trapped in a girl's body managed really well. But there was also the obligatory black guy side kick, bitchy bimbo girl rivals, an unsympathetic 'Desperate Housewives' type mom, and cool slob parents, played by Sharon Osbourne (yaaay!) and Maury Chaykin (also yaay, but for different reasons).

All in all, nothing 'wrong'. Nothing unpleasant nor unlikeable. Just kind of shallow, and very derivative. There was a group of what seemed to be 14 year old kids sitting up in the back of the movie theater I attended, and they laughed and oohed and ahhhed a little bit at some lame-ish jokes. Well, great! I hope they liked it. But I suspect that they are probably the major audience that would find this movie appealing or interesting. And that's OK. I gave it a 5 out of 10--- nothing bad, but also nothing great... just ordinary.

I have to admit first that I am a fan of this genre, although when I went in I was expecting something pretty run-of-the-mill. However, this is no teen B-movie but is actually a really funny premise and has a story with a surprising amount of emotional depth. I'm surprised no-one has made a movie about this before, but they haven't. It seems quite an obvious premise. A boy and girl who despise each other, end up swapping bodies and are thus forced to deal with each other's lives. It's like Freaky Friday but with a bit more edge and all the adolescent teen stuff which is what keeps it fresh. Whilst this stuff is funny it is the love story that really gets you and I was amazed to find myself getting emotionally drawn into the characters. Not often I say that about an American teen movie. Only negative is Sharon Osbourne who kind of pulls you out of the movie a bit, but other than a satisfying movie experience and a really pleasant surprise.

The next door neighbors Nell Bedworth (Samaire Armstrong) and Woody Deane (Kevin Zegers) have opposite behaviors and hate each other: the virgin geek Nell is polite, sensitive and well-prepared to go to Yale, while Woody is rude and his greatest expectation is to join a mediocre university due to his abilities playing football. When Nell and Woody are assigned to visit together a museum, they argue in front of the statue of an Aztec god. During the night, their souls swap bodies, bringing difficult situations to them. They first try to damage the reputation of the other in the high-school, but sooner they discover that their dream of joining college would only happen with mutual respect and support.

There are many movies of swapping bodies; therefore "It's a Boy Girl Thing" is not original. However this predictable story is very funny and this movie is an enjoyable entertainment. Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers show a great chemistry and have excellent performances. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Coisas de Meninos e Meninas" ("Things of Boys and Girls")