She's the man, or something like that

So I took a day off and went to the pictures, indulging in the filmic equivalent of a marshmallow. I saw "She's the Man," featuring Amanda Bynes and David Cross (She's the Man on IMDb). Despite the fact that I walked into the theater and saw that I was the oldest person there (not entirely surprised by that), I hung around to see what the latest modernization of the Bard had to offer.

Yeah, well, like I said, it was the equivalent of eating a marshmallow - all fluff and sugar and air, but just enjoyable enough that you don't completely hate yourself after consuming it.

However, what really struck me was Amanda Byne's scrupulous cultivation of a distinctly baby dyke aesthetic. She's an attractive girl in a very conventional sense, let's not deny it, but when she's something else, she's something more. Her performance is over the top, and even campy, making me wonder (as I usually do in these cross-dressing comedies) how anyone could have possibly believed she is "really" a guy. But through a different lens, Bynes is a cute little tomboy. Makes me wish she left on the baggy jeans and slightly-fitted tshirts, and kept the stilletos in her (almost) girlfriend's closet.

Of course this is ruined by the big reveal, involving Bynes and her twin (?) brother revealing breasts and genitals, respectively, to a crowded soccer stadium. Why, why why???

If you feel like marshmallows, wait for Blockbuster or Netflix to deliver. Then you're free to fast forward to Bynes's swaggering tomboy (while muting the dialogue).

--This blog was originally posted on 15 April 2006 on http://blog.myspace.com/jennyrob--