Search - Whatever It Takes on DVD

Very cute film

Janet Morris | Huntsville, AL USA | 04/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whatever It Takes is an adorable teen movie. It tells the story of Ryan (Shane), an unpopular kid in high school, who falls in love with Ashley (Jodi Lyn), Miss Popularity. He needs help getting Ashley to notice him, so in comes Chris (James), Ashley's cousin who is also very popular. Chris wants to date Ryan's best friend Maggie (Marla). He convinces Ryan that he has good intentions for wanting Maggie and that in the end, they will both have their dream girls, so Ryan agrees to the plan.Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't realize until it is too late that he's totally mismatched with his dream girl and that Chris is a total jerk.The cast is absolutely amazing, and they do a wonderful job. This is one of the best teen movies I've seen in a while.I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see a good romantic comedy."

How low will they go to get the girls of their dreams?

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 06/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It has taken me a while to get around to checking out this 2000 teen romantic comedy for the simply reason that when it came out I had actually finished writing a movie script for the first time and it was a teen romantic comedy entitled "Whatever It Takes" (using the song from Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's first solo album as inspiration) and I was crushed by cruel fate once again taunting me. But I was having a good week so I thought I could stand to watch this and not curse the heavens. Of course I somehow missed out on the 1999 "Whatever It Takes" which had Andrew Dice Clay and Fred Williamson in a film about undercover cops checking out steroid use by body builders, the 1998 animated short by director Joanna Quinn, the 1993 sexploitation comedy by director Michael Quarles, and the 1986 drama starring Martin Balsam. Gee, if only I had stopped crying long enough to find out that films were coming out with this title every year I could still done nothing but felt better about it.This particular version of "Whatever It Takes" was hurt by the idea that it was a modern version of "Cyrano de Bergerac," the way "Ten Things I Hate About You" is an updated "Taming of the Shrew" and "Cruel Intentions" is a teenage version of "Dangerous Liaisons." However, while we do have a version of the famous balcony scene, there is a big difference in that this time around the scene is missing the pivotal irony that a man who is in love with a woman gives another man the words to woe her (although the scene is a pivotal moment in the film). So the "Cyrano" connection is a minor one, especially compared to Steve Martin's "Roxanne." The situation is that Ryan Woodman (Shane West) has the hots for the school's reigning sex goddess, Ashley Grant (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Ryan is a good kid who has the twin misfortunes of playing the accordion and having a mother (Julia Sweeney) who is the school nurse. Meanwhile, the campus bad boy jock, Chris Campbell (James Franco) wants to add good girl Maggie Carter (Marla Sokoloff) to his list of conquests. Ryan and Maggie are nextdoor neighbors whose bedroom balconies almost touch and who have been best friends almost since birth, while Chris happens to be Ashley's cousin. So Chris comes up with the great idea that he and Ryan can help each other get the girl that they want.The only real problem with this story line is that Ryan falls way behind the audience in terms of realizing the truth about both Ashley and Maggie. The cinematic reference I flashed on during this film was actually "10." But if Ryan is slow on the uptake this "Whatever It Takes" gets redeemed because West and Sokoloff really do come across as nice kids and the pivotal scenes are the best in the film, which really saves it. The homage to the "Cyrano" balcony scene is probably the best in the film, the grand gesture required of Ryan turns out to be an elegantly simple example of public humiliation in the name of true love, and Maggie carries off a nice case of the requisite comeuppance. That is not bad for any sort of teen romantic comedy, even one with a title for which lots of people apparently like to write scripts."

Slightly Better than Average Teen Exploitation Moview

John A Lee III | San Antonio, TX | 05/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's a teen exploitation movie. That means you already know the plot. Gut has hots for girl and is willing to do "whatever it takes" to get her, even be incredibly stupid. That's what the genre is all about so people should not be surprised when that happens. In essence, guys, especially young ones, tend to do hilarious things to satisfy their...desires. This movie goes a step better.

Synopsis: one of the school geeks is infatuated by the head cheerleader but lives next door to the proverbial "beautiful girl next door". A cousin of the head cheerleader, a jock, wants to add the "girl next door" to his scorecard. The two guys get togther to make each other's fantasies come true. Along the way, the "nice ones" learn important lessons and the "not so nice" ones get their comeuppance. Its as predictable as the sunset. It's still funny.

Where this movie does its best is in the way it charactures the popular people. They are usually depicted as shallow and vapid. They still are but are taken to new heights of idiocy. It's fun to see them get taken down a peg by some nice kids who find each other.

Don't expect any education from this film. Its strictly for laughs. Its not the best but it is certainly entertaining."

Great stuff!

Janet Morris | 01/17/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of bad movies as a genre, this can be a lot of fun. It's a "must see" for James Franco fans. Franco does his method- acting- Marlon- Brando- James- Dean schtick surrounded by Baywatch rejects and Tiger Beat boybabes. The director never misses a chance to sexually exploit Franco's body, which makes for an especially hilarious director and cast commentary. The director actually says things like "and in this scene, I wanted more full body shots of Franco wearing only a thong and tied to the bed, but the ratings board only allowed one;" and "here, I wanted a big close up of Franco's naked butt, but the ratings board made me take it out." The female lead then replies "Oh yes, I remember working all day with Franco's naked butt right in front of my face..." Or something similar. It's a hoot."