I Love You, Beth Cooper

In your typical teen comedy there comes the standard, "we must lose our virginity" and "gross-out" scenes and lots of pop culture references. In I Love You Beth Cooper, there is none of that. It's a real love story laced with some funny things to say.

Denis (Paul Rust) gives a final speech as he graduates and proclaims his love for Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) while doing so. He also has some fun by telling the entire class about some of the other flawed students. To his surprise, Beth and her two friends, are the only people, aside from his friend Rich, who come to his party.

I liked this movie for a lot of reasons, but most of all because it wasn't like American Pie, Superbad, or Road Trip. It had some heart to it and it wasn't just a bunch of teen comedies with a bunch of nudity and sex. I loved the fact that Hayden Panettiere was the main role and how she was the fantasy girl that every guy dreams of being with, but still a down-to-Earth girl.

There's tons of jokes, that aren't idiotic. There's a lot of fun and changing of scenes in this movie and a lot of romantic moments as well. I think the movie would be amazing if it had some sort of moral or real ending. I'll let you figure out what I mean by that. But I don't think the ending is satisfying.

It's an entertaining film, and if you're in the dawn of graduating or have just you'll probably love it. If you're a couple years shy of graduating you may not relate as much. I think I liked it even more because I graduated recently.

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.

This is my first review but I'm not going to say everyone will agree with what I have to say but what I can say is I loved the movie, this movie had all the signs that he's going to get the girl blah blah blah which I loved and I enjoyed it but this movie shows you a ending can really go from a 7/10 to a 5/10. Ya that's 0 to 100 real quick! The ending really made me not like this. It sucks to say that because watching it all the way thru just to watch that ending it will make you laugh, cry and even blush and root for the guy but just to piss you off in the end so ya loved the movie all the way thru I thought the actors and actresses were good it was just the ending that had me never wanting to watch it again. If we are single at our 10 years I'm going to marry you! He didn't get the girl sadly.

'I Love You Beth Cooper' is a teen comedy that gently pushes a few boundaries but doesn't really do anything new. It is based on the book of the same name by Larry Doyle. Unlike the book though, this film never really captures the same atmosphere and leaves you wanting more from the characters. Unfortunately, due to some poor timing many of the jokes fall flat leaving the film to stutter instead of flow.

The film does pick up pace midway through the 2nd act however ultimately there isn't anything overly likable about the geek. A touch of reality may have made his character more believable but it seems the director prefers sight gags over substance. Some of the locations work well to build the atmosphere, but the dialog just feels too cheesy and forced to make you feel comfortable enough to just go with the story.

Hayden Panettiere is really the only reason you would watch this. It isn't hard to see why Denis would fall in love with her Beth - I kept thinking I'd probably do the same if I went to her school. I found her character to be very credible and I enjoyed every scene she was in.

If you like Beauty and the Geek and you're a fan of Hayden, this is worth watching. More music, faster - wittier dialog and more character development would have improved this ten fold.

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