Never Been Kissed (1999)

56% of critics liked it
(80 reviews)
70% of users liked it
(417,781 ratings)

Many people wish they could go back to high school, knowing what they know as an adult; Josie Geller gets the chance to do just that in the comedy Never Been Kissed. Josie (played by Drew Barrymore) is a 25-year-old copy editor at a newspaper in Chicago. But it's her youthful looks as much as her… More Many people wish they could go back to high school, knowing what they know as an adult; Josie Geller gets the chance to do just that in the comedy Never Been Kissed. Josie (played by Drew Barrymore) is a 25-year-old copy editor at a newspaper in Chicago. But it's her youthful looks as much as her journalistic skills that finally win her a writing assignment: she's ordered to enroll in high school posing as a teenager for a story on the state of America's youth. Trouble is, Josie was a hopeless nerd in high school (called "Josie Grossie" by her classmates); she had no idea of how to fit in with the cool kids, and she's hardly gotten any better at it in the seven years since graduation. While Josie makes fast friends with a bookish girl named Aldys (Leelee Sobieski), and also takes notice of her good-looking English teacher Mr. Coulson (Michael Vartan), she realizes for the sake of her story she has to infiltrate the cool girls' clique, which will be impossible without someone to give her a crash course in hipness. Josie's brother Rob (David Arquette), obviously the more style-conscious sibling, offers to sign up for the same school to act as the cool-guy friend she'll need to fit in, but just when Josie starts making headway (and starts enjoying high school for a change), her editor changes the focus of the story -- he now wants a feature on improper relations between teachers and students, which will not be good for her deepening friendship with Mr. Coulson. Never Been Kissed also features supporting performances from John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon and Jordan Ladd (the latter in a much more wholesome vehicle than her last cinematic visit to cinematic teen-town, Gregg Araki's Nowhere). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Raja Gosnell
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 9, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Jan 8, 2002
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Drew Barrymore's virtuoso performance smooths over the plot holes.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
The most exhilarating American movie I have seen this year -- which isn't saying much.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Drew Barrymore has been well cast as someone who doesn't act her age.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Relatively inoffensive and relentlessly mediocre.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
While Never Been Kissed belongs heart and soul to Barrymore, Sobieski's natural poise and assurance reminds us that her own prime time is not so very far away.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie's screenplay is contrived and not blindingly original, but Barrymore illuminates it with sunniness, and creates a lovable character.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
A genuinely sweet and romantic story for teens.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The material is pretty much the same as She's All That and the other recent high school movies, but Barrymore has the big screen stuff to pull it off.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Barrymore again displays her remarkable ability to get the audience rooting for her singular blend of vulnerability and sunny optimism.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
This is an okay date flick. It's somewhat forgettable, like high school should be, but possessing a few moments it'll be tough to get out of your head.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
A surprisingly solid and entertaining teen flick
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
The less Never Been Kissed forces its material, the more enjoyable it is.
, Palo Alto Weekly
Barrymore demonstrates an acute sensitivity to the angst of adolescence, and handles it with kid gloves.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
Have you noticed yet that there's really no point to this story?
James Rocchi, Netflix
The deft script and solid performances turn what could have been empty piffle into remarkably entertaining piffle that'll leave you smiling.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
Never Been Kissed, like so many coulda-shoulda-woulda-been-good movies, starts out strong. Then it loses its nerve in the third act, substituting a fuzzy emotional spectacle for a coherent conclusion.
Kevin Lally, Film Journal International
Thanks to Barrymore's goodhearted presence, Josie's comic emotional journey has plenty of mass appeal.
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix
This kind of dippy, silly drivel has no right to succeed, yet it does...
John Wrathall, Sight and Sound
The script efficiently contrives a spiral of dilemmas and challenges to bring about Josie's ultimate blossoming.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Martin S

I don't wanna be the badguy...but kinda boring
Cassie H

Adorable movie about a journalist, Josie Geller, asked to go undercover as a senior student at South Glen South High School. She agrees to it but forgets that whenever she was in high school she was called names. At first she has a hard time fitting in but her brother enrolls and… More
Adorable movie about a journalist, Josie Geller, asked to go undercover as a senior student at South Glen South High School. She agrees to it but forgets that whenever she was in high school she was called names. At first she has a hard time fitting in but her brother enrolls and tells lies about Josie to make her popular because she has to befriend the popular kids for a story when that doesn't work she has to do a story on her teacher, Sam Coulson. When she finally writes her piece she writes that she is in love with Sam & will wait on the baseball mound before the first inning of the South Glen South game. This is a heart warming tale of a girl who never got her real first kiss & wants to have it with the man she loves. A five star romantic classic! :) Michael Vartan is so cute in this movie!!! :) :) :)
Bethany M

Another great romantic film! Drew Barrymore plays her character perfectly. A must see!
Jennifer X

I'll admit, the final football scene was kind of cute, and Michael Vartan is really freaking fiiiiiine, but god this dialogue makes me want to throw up.
Thomas B

Despite a few genuinely funny moments, this is pure schmaltz coupled with a bad case of stereotype. Only Drew Barrymore's great performance saves it. Full review later.
Dean !

An average Rom-Com for me with quite a bit of teen comedy humour thrown in as well. It has some quite funny scenes set at the high school as the geeky kid who grew up, returns as an undercover journalist trying to fit in with the popular kids second time round.
Spencer S

Sorry, but I'm a chick, and this is a chick flick. It's my genre, it's who I am, and I love this film precisely because it caters to all the sad teenage girls out there. Loved it!
Jennifer D

Completely implausible and dorky, but what can you expect from Drew Barrymore?
Anthony L

David Arquette brings some funny moments to this film but overall it?s not great!
Coxxie M

Michael "Hammerhead" Vartan looks like an Anvil. and this is stupid
Drew S

Ugh. Really? This was made in 1999? You could have told me that this was John Hughes' afterbirth ripped from the early 80s and I would have believed you. This is basically the cinematic equivalent of a glacier, floating backwards into some sort of moronic rom-com whirlpool. Drew… More
Ugh. Really? This was made in 1999? You could have told me that this was John Hughes' afterbirth ripped from the early 80s and I would have believed you. This is basically the cinematic equivalent of a glacier, floating backwards into some sort of moronic rom-com whirlpool. Drew Barrymore gives it her best shot, but even her noblest efforts basically amount to piss in a hole. This is the type of triteness so complete that, even within the world of the film, triteness is what is considered acceptable; see the rapturous response to Barrymore's laughably bad newspaper article at the end of the film. The film makes it sound like she deserves a fucking Pulitzer for her ~*~scathing examination~*~ of bitchy high schoolers and not getting kissed by her pedophile pretend teacher. I cannot think of a single newspaper that wouldn't laugh that shit straight out of the copy room. Also no way in fuck would someone as hot as Leelee Sobieski be a social outcast. At absolute worst, she'd be the nerdy girl that all the nerdy guys pass around and who gets a really sordid reputation. UGH. Why do I even care anymore.
Bobby H

Never been kissed is a teen-comedy about a reporter who finds herself enrolling back into Highschool, in which her first time around, didnt go so well. She faces the same trials and tribulations as the first time until her "cool" brother enrolls and helps her gain that… More
Never been kissed is a teen-comedy about a reporter who finds herself enrolling back into Highschool, in which her first time around, didnt go so well. She faces the same trials and tribulations as the first time until her "cool" brother enrolls and helps her gain that popularity that she always dreamed of having... This movie is pretty funny, it has a good idea and exaggerats the cliques of Highschool even better, and has a pretty good plot. I enjoyed watching it and even though in a sense it's a chick flick, I think most other guys will too. It has a little bit for everyone. It's a perfectly made comedy, as an over all movie, it suffers a little from unoriginality. It's easy to be able to predict scenes before they fully unfold and it's even easier to predict the ending - but it's still a great movie.
Lenny M

Enjoyable and memorable but cheesy of course.
Sanjaya &

It's a lovely teen movie... Drew Barrymore really shows her great acts in this movie, she's the talented one... And a little surprising that this movie got some talented young actors that become famous in nowadays like Jessica Alba and James Franco, they just great... Great… More
It's a lovely teen movie... Drew Barrymore really shows her great acts in this movie, she's the talented one... And a little surprising that this movie got some talented young actors that become famous in nowadays like Jessica Alba and James Franco, they just great... Great and lovely movie about teenagers...
Red L

Another feel good movie. Drew Barrymore gets relive her highschool days - this time attending grad AND she gets to make a speech to the grads about how unimportant grad dances are. The film is OK, it is just not too memorable.
Mason W

Never Been Kissed is my top three favorite Drew Barrymore films..along with Ever After and The Wedding Singer...all soo funny. Drew plays a reporter that goes back to high school to uncover good stories for her paper..only to find love and many crazy situations....have to see this… More
Never Been Kissed is my top three favorite Drew Barrymore films..along with Ever After and The Wedding Singer...all soo funny. Drew plays a reporter that goes back to high school to uncover good stories for her paper..only to find love and many crazy situations....have to see this one.
Candy R

I love Drew in these rom coms. About a geeky girl who goes back to high school undercover.
Dean M

Drew Barrymore is okay, but little funny as a shy <i>Chicago Sun Times</i> copy editor who is sent to undercover as a local high school student. I don't think Barrymore looked young enough as a student since <i>Poison Ivy</i>.
Rachel F

This is a great movie. I was embarrassed for Drew's character throughout most of the movie.
danny d

its funny when she gets blasted with the egg