User Reviews

Whatever it takes is bad, silly, predictable, stupid, and romantic, in exactly the ways it's supposed to be. It follows formula to a tee. Good production quality. The beautiful people are very, and the nerds are unmistakable. Teen gross outs. Hot fashions. Adolescent fantasy at its finest. Both a one and a ten at the same time, I have to give it a five.

Ryan Woodman (Shane West) and Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff) are best friends and neighbors. Floyd (Aaron Paul) is their slacker friend. Ryan is obsessed with high school goddess Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Big man on campus Chris Campbell (James Franco) wants to get the one he can't get, the virginal enigmatic Maggie. So he needs Ryan to Cyrano DeBergerac for him. In return he proposes to do the same for Ryan with his cousin Ashley.

The biggest problem is that Shane West is way too good looking for the loser role. They need somebody much more geeky, and a bad haircut really doesn't make it. It's nothing offensive, but it just can't rise above the clichés. It's obvious where this is going, and it has an uncomfortable time getting there.

Ryan Woodman (Shane West) and Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff) are neighbors and best friends. Ryan is a very sensible guy, his nerd friends are very weird and has a crush in Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Ashley is a shallow but popular, beautiful and sexy girl in their high school. Her cousin Chris Campbell (James Franco) is a brainless and dumb American football player, who wants to have a date with Maggie. Ryan and Chris make a deal: each one of them will introduce and help the other to be with the girl of their dreams. This movie is so predictable that around six minutes of story I could foresee the end. The story is full of clichés, but there are some funny (but also expected) situations. The teen cast is not bad and in the end it becomes a reasonable and forgettable entertaining. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `Correndo Atrás' (`Running After')

In the lines of She's All That, Columbia Pictures brings Whatever It Takes, a teen comedy with all the cliches. The story is fairly simple, unpopular guy (Shane West) is in love with hottest girl in the school (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). His beautiful yet different female friend (Marla Sokoloff) is being adored by the hottest guy in the school (James Franco). So the unpopular guy and the popular guy team up to get the girls. They both help each other in ways that aren't normal to each other. But when the unpopular guy realizes that what he was looking for was right under his nose everything becomes chaotic. The performances are good. Nobody does a stand out job but they all do the best with what they have. The jokes are at times really funny and at times a complete waist of time. There is a lot of racy material for a PG-13 movie. Many of the sexual jokes can get pretty bad. If your a teenager I think you will enjoy this film. Whatever It Takes is a sometime enjoyable and sometime funny teen comedy with a reused plot and many teen comedy cliches. If your looking for a comedy that breaks new ground this just ain't it. But if your looking to enjoy yourself, you might just get a kick out of it.

Perhaps there's a new software product called InstaScript that's selling big in Hollywood. To make this movie, simply feed in keywords like teenager, high school, prom, and booze. Then ensure character choices include two females: one rich and self-indulgent, one attractive but rejected. And males: Three jocks, three geeks, and a geek-but-jock wannabe. Next, turn the sex setting to extra-super-duper, but make sure the PG-13 button is turned on (or who knows what may happen). InstaScript is conveniently programmed to recognize that audiences love to hate popular people, laugh at geeks watching pornography, and cheer underdogs who get vengeance in the end. So, push print and voila! Out comes a perfectly formatted script that will impress the studio soooo much, they won't notice the missing plot.

Instascript will do 'Whatever It Takes' to get your movie made. Note the wardrobe department will save extra dollars with costumes that use minimal fabric to clothe the star females. Notice also the scene where the girl that is willing to have sex with any man who treats her badly (a great portrayal for young female audiences to follow...) is camped on the front lawn of the guy she wants to take to the prom. The convincing way she flashes her almost naked body at him is bound to be a hit.

Meanwhile, your Miss Unpopular character will blossom into a full woman, especially when she leads her date to think she wants bondage sex on prom night. And how about that twist at the end? How could anyone guess those two would wind up together?

And you'll love the way InstaScript fills in the other 90 minutes of your script by reusing classic movie scenes. Sure, you may know about Cyrano de Bergerac's trick of telling his buddy what to say to the girl. And yes, you've seen the swimming pool idea in It's A Wonderful Life, but don't worry. Nobody coming to see the movies you make with InstaScript is going to be old or wise enough to ever suspect that the following movie has been recycled to fit their screen.

(c)2000, One Voice Communications. All rights reserved.

I thought this film had some really funny moments and good lines. Marla Sokoloff was perfect for his role, and so was James Franco, who looks as cocky as his character in the film is. The other actress Jodie was played over the top, because she has all these hissy fits which can be funny to watch or annoying. Overall good job but the ending is dumb

Overcoming the predictable plot, some dialogue is very clever and the acting and directing are good. The bit characters are interesting (e.g., the Coach, the nerds) enough to hold attention and even get a few laughs.

Better than average coming-of-age fare. 7/10

Hunky, handsome Shane West (as Ryan Woodman) thinks he's a "nerd". Mr. West persuades popular James Franco (as Chris Campbell) to help him get into sexy Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (as Ashley Grant); in return for Mr. Franco's assistance in seducing West's sweet 'n' sexy neighbor, Marla Sokoloff (as Maggie Carter). Think… "Cyrano de Bergerac!" Eventually, Franco strips to his thong, and gets tied up. All of these characters act like they are in high school… and they ARE in high school. Obviously, they have been kept back a few years. You could laugh along with them, if they did anything funny. So, how is West able to sleep at night with someone like Ms. Sokoloff that close? And, visa versa...

I'd be up all night.

** Whatever It Takes (3/31/00) David Raynr ~ Shane West, Marla Sokoloff, James Franco, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe

I am only writing this because I think the other reviews I've seen for this movie are far off base. "Teen flicks" in general have a tendency to play off of the same premise with little variation or creativity, and are--generally speaking--bad as a genre. There are a few exceptions, paramount among them "Clueless." This film isn't as horrible and unbearable as "10 Things I Hate About You," and I actually think it was probably a little better than "American Pie"--although I rather disliked the latter thus is not a very high compliment for this film either.

Quickly, to break it down, I will tell you the main problems with this film. 1) It recycles the horrible "Prom is coming up and I want to take the popular girl" premise, which seems to be the basis of many a horrible teen movie. 2) The primary conflict doesn't evolve until the movie is half over--up to that point, it is just a waste of time waiting for the primary conflict, and the action is pretty boring. 3) The end is predictable from the the first couple scenes of the movie... not a good thing. Save your money (and time), and rent something a little more original.

WHATEVER IT TAKES, in my opinion, is a sweet, charming, romantic, hilarious, and heartwarming romantic teen comedy. If you ask me, Ashley (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) was, indeed, a very popular, as well as pretty, high school senior. Also, I thought that she, Ryan (Shane West), Maggie (Marla Sokoloff), and Chris (James Franco) looked good in the attire they wore to the prom. That was one of my most favorite parts of the movie. This was because a lot of wacky things happened then. I especially liked the after-prom party. My reason for that is because it took place in a hotel. That makes me wish I had been invited to a party like that when I was a senior in high school. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say, "Bets like that are stupid. I think you should let the person you love fall in love with you rather than wooing them." Now, in conclusion, if you're a fan of Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Shane West, Marla Sokoloff, or James Franco, I highly recommend this sweet, charming, hilarious, and heartwarming romantic teen comedy, that is, if you haven't seen it.

A nerdy teen, Ryan Woodman (Shane West) is smitten with the popular and gorgeous Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), who apparently has no interest in him. Meanwhile, dim star athlete Chris Campbell (James Franco) has his eye on Ryan's brainy and beautiful friend, Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff). The two agree to help each other in their romantic quests, but, as they come closer to their goals, both Ryan and Chris suspect that they might be pursuing the wrong girls.

As you can tell, "Whatever It Takes" is certainly nothing new or ground-breaking, but for what it is, it's entertaining and slightly above-average. James Franco is the best thing about this movie, although his character and their motive is very questionable. He's what kept me sticking around until the credits roll. The film has every teen cliché in the book, geeky sidekicks in Whatever It Takes are no better or worse than those in a dozen other teen movies of recent vintage, but they get the job done. Despite its flaws there's something sweet and delightfully anarchic about it, it's light, fluffy, fast-paced, and through the use of overdone ideas are a couple original moments. So despite its formulaic plot and all-too-tired themes, this John Hughes-movie wannabe has just enough quirky charm to compensate for its generic story.

This is a far worse teen comedy than both American Pie and Road Trip, because where these two movies were held together by good jokes, good actors and a bit of brain (not much, but there was some), this was utterly stupid. And I can tell, because I am on High School also and nobody can be that stupid. I mean, Ryan is totally in love with Ashley and therefore does really ANYTHING to be with her (and I mean everything) and it does not matter how dumb it is. Chris on the other hand thinks he is god's gift to women and thinks only about getting into the sack with every girl on school. His motto is: treat a girl like crap and she'll love you for it. We also have got Ryan's 'dorky' friends, who on the evolutionary ladder are not much further than Ryan, but who really act like idiots all the time whereas Chris can (every once in a while) act normally. The ending is predictable and therefore not good either. There are a couple of laughs though and I felt that Maggie (Marla Sokoloff) was acting pretty good.

Rent Pie and Trip instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 out of 10

Note: this review has been amended to remove some sexist comments I included at the time. Apologies for any offence caused. I was young and stupid at the time, thinking I was being 'cool'.

This movie was surprisingly cute and so fun to watch. It's extremely 2000

This film was awful. It took the "teen film" genre to an all time low. Acting was terrible (except for the hot young Marla Sokoloff), writing was cliched, and directing was non existent. I could have written a better story than this. Maybe I will.

"Whatever It Takes" is another vehicle to try to cash in on the whole teen movie phase. This one deals with the same old "boys-make-pact-to-get-girls-of-their-dreams" theme, only one of them realizes the girl of his dreams is right in front of him. Heard this story before? Of course you have.

Okay, maybe I'm making it sound really bad. It's not REALLY bad, just not up to par. What it does have going for it is the performances by Shane West and Marla Sokoloff in the "lovers who don't know they are yet" roles. They make the story, and their lives, interesting. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is fun as the typical "it's all about me" girl. The only disappointing performance is by James Franco, who seemed to be just reading his lines, not acting. Aaron Paul as "Floyd" provides most of the humour, although sometimes it got annoying.

"Whatever" is more sexually charged than most of the other teen trash out there, and that's probably what works the most. Teens ARE sexual, and they really show it. Although it doesn't have the emotional core and witty writing of the best teen romance ever, "10 Things I Hate About You", there are some much needed jolts of humour that tear you off of the same-old-story treadmill.

So overall, it's not the best "teen" movie out there, but don't totally avoid it.

Skippy-60 gives it a rating of 6.5/10

Lacks the heart of the other more well known 90s/2000s teen movies. It just feels like there's no substance and it's really hard to root for anyone because you never really get to know anyone.

"I love you Brian Ryan!" If you don't regularly quote that, or other hilarious phrases from this movie, you weren't a kid in the '90s. My friends and I saw Whatever It Takes more times than we could count, and we all had ridiculous crushes on James Franco. He's so gorgeous! He's so gorgeous that under normal circumstances, this movie wouldn't make sense. However, since it's a teen version of the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, the plot is set in stone. Ironically, my two favorite teen movies from that era are both based off of classic stories-the other being 10 Things I Hate About You. It shows that the stories are timeless and accessible; you just have to tell them in a high school setting and young people will love them.

It might not seem like it, but there's quite a bit of Cyrano that's kept in this adaptation: the lead is in love with a girl who only sees him as a friend and he frequently talks to her across her balcony, the good-looking, shy love interest is named Chris and is an athlete, the letter impersonations culminate in a verbal impersonation with one word that's lost in translation, and there's a scene where the lead rattles off a bunch of insults to show the initial insult wasn't good enough. So before you dismiss this movie as a silly teen flick, you should know that it's also giving its viewers a thorough education of James Franco-I mean, of Cyrano de Bergerac.

In all seriousness, it's going to take quite a few viewings for any teenage girl to understand anything at all about the plot. All we understand the first time around is that James Franco is gorgeous. All we understand the second time around is that Marla Sokoloff is an idiot for having to be convinced to go out with him. Once we realize it's a classic story, we can settle down and appreciate more than just the view. I know he played James Dean in the following year's biopic, but am I the only one out there who thinks he should have starred in "The Richard Widmark Story"?

There are a few changes to the original story that help make it more entertaining for younger folks. Shane West doesn't have any deformity or abnormality besides being unpopular; in high school that is unpleasant, but at least he has a few friends, Aaron Paul and Colin Hanks, who stick by him through thick and thin. The Cyrano character (cleverly named Ryan) isn't immediately in love with the Roxane character (not so cleverly named Maggie); at first, he's infatuated with the popular, shallow Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. Jodi is James Franco's cousin, so the two men make a deal to help each other win their corresponding crushes. While the Cyrano plot is maintained and Shane writes poetry and gives romantic dialogue for Franco to memorize, Franco is modern and tells Shane that he should be mean and critical to gain Jodi's attention.

I've watched this movie for the past twenty years; I know it extremely well. I can't imagine watching it for the first time today, but to me, it's still as hilarious as it was twenty years ago. Young kids today might not like it as much, since in only one scene is a cell phone present and it's used to show how rude Jodi is for talking on the phone during a date. Those of us who remember life before cell phones will still find it accessible. It's funny and unexpected, and even though I always wish for a different ending, it's still sweet and romantic. So ladies, if it's been a while since you've seen Whatever It Takes-and by that, I mean more than a year-schedule a girls' night and pop in your VHS copy. If you can't find it, buy a DVD like I did. You can try to play the take-a-shot-every-time-you-want-to-kiss-James-Franco drinking game, but none of my friends have ever made it past the first twenty minutes without getting sick or passing out.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. On the double date, they go to a carnival and the spinning rides will make you sick. Also, at the very end, there's a closeup of the school statue and the camera spins in a circle. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

This teen romantic comedy had a good storyline, but an uneven screenplay kept it from reaching its potential. The main story is Cyrano de Bergerac times two. Two boys who pine after different girls help one another by feeding one another lines that will win the girls' hearts. This is a clever variation on a very old theme. Writer Mark Schwan should have stayed closer to the main plot rather than throwing in so much superfluous teen fluff. The story was greatly diminished by the inclusion of the three geeks. The prom swimming pool scene was a direct rip-off from `It's a Wonderful Life' and done nowhere near as well.

The story does capture a lot of the frustration of being a teenager and getting that special girl/boy to notice you exist. It had some real moments, lent greater weight by surprisingly good acting from a young cast. Shane West was very sincere as the accordion playing and socially invisible Ryan. He and Marla Sokoloff (Maggie) gave excellent dramatic performances and outdistanced the rest of the cast. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Ashley) and James Franco (Chris) were also good but not equal to the former as the popular but superficial high school idols.

This film has a difficult time in a crowded genre with some tough competition. The comedy wasn't very funny and the main story wasn't developed well enough to differentiate it from the pack. It had some charm, but it was nothing special. I rated it a 6/10. It's worth a look for young adult audiences.

Interesting to watch just to see all the fresh faced actors like. James Franco, Aaron Paul, Colin Hanks, etc. The fashion is amusing too. But it's your run of the mill coming of age that it's inevitably forgettable.