She's the Man (2006)

44% of critics liked it
(110 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(570,361 ratings)

A simple case of assumed identity snowballs into a romantic mix-up of epic proportions in director Andy Fickman's contemporary teen take on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) has good reason for wanting to conceal her identity upon arriving at Illyria Prep School, and… More A simple case of assumed identity snowballs into a romantic mix-up of epic proportions in director Andy Fickman's contemporary teen take on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) has good reason for wanting to conceal her identity upon arriving at Illyria Prep School, and with her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk), skirting school in an attempt to break into the London music scene, Viola sees her sibling's well-timed absence as the perfect opportunity to assume his identity. When Viola is assigned a shared dorm room with campus cool guy Duke (Channing Tatum), her facade slowly begins to crumble as she begins harboring a deep-rooted crush on her unsuspecting new roommate. The situation begins to take a turn for the worse, however, when Duke reveals his affection toward campus knockout Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who in turn seems increasingly drawn toward the sensitive imposter known as Sebastian. The problem is, the real Sebastian has decided to cut his London trip short, and upon arriving on campus two days earlier than expected, Viola's elaborately executed ruse hits an unexpected hitch that sends the entire situation spiraling into chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Andy Fickman
Written By: Ewan Leslie, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kristen Smith
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Mar 17, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jul 18, 2006
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
A comedy that lacks both the verbal sophistication of its source and the sexual sophistication of its target audience.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
There I sit, suffering total numbness of body and brain, no longer having to wonder what it might be like to be buried alive in gooey marshmallow.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Mere words cannot convey how awful Bynes is at playing a girl playing a boy.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
As was proven with 10 Things I Hate about You, it is possible to re-imagine the Bard in a modern high school setting, but She's the Man doesn't do it well.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
She's the Man has a certain charm and is sure to appeal to tweens, at least the female variety.
Susan Walker, Toronto Star
More often than not it's the slapstick elements, predictably occasioned by gender confusion, that get the laughs.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Cute but crass comedy for young teens.
Anna Smith, Film4
Fails to make the most of its source material by trimming Shakespeare's plot and squeezing it into a vacuous high school comedy.
Christopher Campbell, Cinematical
She's the Man arrives with much ado about something: a seasoned concept and qualified birthright that supports its traditionalism and rests upon its potential.
David Noh, Film Journal International
Anything resembling real wit or charm is strictly A.W.O.L.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...there are certainly more than enough elements within the film to warrant a mild recommendation among older viewers...
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
watching it helps you realize that you're not 12 anymore, and you can't be watching movies like this. Unless, of course, you're still 12, so you'll probably be cheering for Amanda Bynes
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
The utter absence of humor, charm, originality, or intelligence leaves this to rank among the worst of all recent teen comedies.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
The movie is noisy, obnoxious and wildly overacted, as if Fickman planned it to play only on a Sony PSP.
Clint Morris, Brag Magazine
Byrnes is an absolute delight...it kicks goals
Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
She's the Man is cleverer than the average teen movie, but it gets so wrapped up in plot mechanics that it loses the characters
Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat
I can't wait to see Lindsay Lohan do a version of Hamlet.
Neil Smith, BBC
Bynes tackles her part with gusto, while Tatum underplays his to striking effect.
Anna Smith, Empire Magazine
The high school hijinks may entertain the young, but those more familiar with the Bard will recognise this as a wasted opportunity.
Jake Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald
A minor but decent-spirited entertainment, enlivened by a couple of the adult supporting players.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

She's the Man is a fairly decent comedy with a good cast. For what it is, She's the Man is a good little family oriented comedy that though not perfect is a pretty decent, entertaining film that has quite a few good laughs. I'm surprised I quite enjoyed this film, and I… More
She's the Man is a fairly decent comedy with a good cast. For what it is, She's the Man is a good little family oriented comedy that though not perfect is a pretty decent, entertaining film that has quite a few good laughs. I'm surprised I quite enjoyed this film, and I thought that Vinnie Jones was pretty good here. The films plot could have been improved a bit, but for the most part, it's mindless fun that is hard not to like. Like I said, this film is not perfect, but manages to be a good hearted comedy. I thought I was going to hate this film, but I enjoyed it somewhat. There is definite room for improvement, but it does succeed at making you laugh. Don't expect a great comedy with this one, expect something mildly entertaining and funny, and you're most likely not going to be disappointed. She's the Man is funny, never anything hilarious, but it does make you smile. This is a fairly entertaining film for what it is, but is never really anything memorable. She's the Man is the type of film worth watching at least once. The cast is enjoyable and they manage to give decent performances. She's the Man is definitely not a great comedy, but it does manage to entertain. She's the Man was better than I thought it was going to be and it caught me by surprise. Not a great comedy, but good considering all the crappy comedies that come out.
Eric A

Amanda Bynes is sexy, but this movie isn't.
Manu G

If you wanna chase your dream, sometimes you gotta break the rules. Saw it again! Fun movie with some very funny moments. I enjoyed it and that's all there is to it. She's the Man is about Viola Hastings, a girl who's passion is Soccer. She then finds out that the… More
If you wanna chase your dream, sometimes you gotta break the rules. Saw it again! Fun movie with some very funny moments. I enjoyed it and that's all there is to it. She's the Man is about Viola Hastings, a girl who's passion is Soccer. She then finds out that the Girl's Soccer Program gets canceled at her school. She then tries out for the guy's team, but they tell her that girls aren't good enough. So when Viola finds out that her fraternal twin brother, Sebastian is sneaking off to London for a music tour, instead of going to Illyria School, Viola decides that she can take his place, and pretend to be him, to be able to try out for their Soccer program. After a makeover and help from her friends, she gets to Illyria, but then finds that she likes her room mate, Duke. Things get messy when a girl who Duke likes falls for Sebastian, who is Viola in disguise. Everything falls apart when Sebastian goes home from London early, and things start to fall to pieces.
Bethany M

One of my all time favourite films! I loved this! A must see!
Dean !

I was a little worried this would be quite a lame chick flick that would appeal more to the teenage generation. No doubt that is the target audience, but with a decent cast including a surprise show up of Vinnie Jones (Ex-Pro footballer) and high production backing, this is actually… More
I was a little worried this would be quite a lame chick flick that would appeal more to the teenage generation. No doubt that is the target audience, but with a decent cast including a surprise show up of Vinnie Jones (Ex-Pro footballer) and high production backing, this is actually quite funny. Amanda Bynes was great, don't think I've even heard of her before? It might be too cute for some still, but I actually ended up laughing a good few times and enjoyed it. They even had some Chelsea posters in the bedroom!!
Jennifer X

Amanda Bynes looks scarily like a dude in her Sebastian scenes, but that doesn't take away from her absolutely flawless comedic timing. I'm sort of embarrassed how hard I laughed in some scenes. Yeah, it's not exactly movie gold caliber but it's more entertaining… More
Amanda Bynes looks scarily like a dude in her Sebastian scenes, but that doesn't take away from her absolutely flawless comedic timing. I'm sort of embarrassed how hard I laughed in some scenes. Yeah, it's not exactly movie gold caliber but it's more entertaining as anything else you're going to find out there.
Richard C

80% wow this wasn't that good. C
Red L

The essence of Shakespeare's play where Viola loves Duke who loves Olivia who loves Viola is always a good thing to base a story on. But as much as I like Amanda Bynes movies, I don't think she plays a convincing boy and the movie was 3/4's of an hour too long.… More
The essence of Shakespeare's play where Viola loves Duke who loves Olivia who loves Viola is always a good thing to base a story on. But as much as I like Amanda Bynes movies, I don't think she plays a convincing boy and the movie was 3/4's of an hour too long. Amazingly, that is still good enough be better than 1/3 of the movies I have seen.
Dead A

This was hilarious!
Anthony L

Not completely devoid of humour but I do think they got lucky in some scenes. Amanda Bynes's performance I suspect was unintentional but a quirky serendipitous piece of good luck. It soon descends into tripe overload though, which was a great shame but then I've never been a… More
Not completely devoid of humour but I do think they got lucky in some scenes. Amanda Bynes's performance I suspect was unintentional but a quirky serendipitous piece of good luck. It soon descends into tripe overload though, which was a great shame but then I've never been a big fan of Shakespearean comedies, his tragedies have always appealed to me more.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Joffman, James Kirk, Julie Hagerty, David Cross, Vinnie Jones DIRECTED BY: Andy Fickman Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) had her own good reasons for disguising herself as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) and enrolling in… More
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Joffman, James Kirk, Julie Hagerty, David Cross, Vinnie Jones DIRECTED BY: Andy Fickman Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) had her own good reasons for disguising herself as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) and enrolling in his place at his new boarding school, Illyria Prep. She was counting on Sebastian being AWOL from school as he tried to break into the music scene in London. What she didn't count on was falling in love with her hot roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum), who in turn only has eyes for the beautiful Olivia (Laura Ramsey). Making matters worse, Olivia is starting to fall for Sebastian, who--for reasons Olivia couldn't begin to guess--appears to be the sensitive type of guy she'd always dreamed of meeting. If things weren't complicated enough, the real Sebastian has come back from London two days earlier than expected and arrives on campus having no clue that he's been replaced...by his own twin sister. Didn't expect to like this flick much, but I did. Mainly because it really brings the laughs. Any movie that can make you laugh through out it is good to me. Amanda Bynes is a really funny gal and it really shows in this movie. Some things were a bit cheesey, but it's a no brainer that things will be in films like this. But all in all a good little funny film. Good watch..
KJ P

It was a fun concept! I enjoyed waiting to see what was going to happen next! But now that I already know, it's not really worth watching again!
Thomas B

amanda bynes is once again trying to prove herself in yet another chick flick. it's a surprising good chick flick, however, though it just doesn't stack up to the competition surrounding it.
Coxxie M

oh man this is straight torture
E.J. B

Silly, predictable, wacky, and lovable. The spirit of Shakespeare's play doesn't get lost in the Hollywood formula.
Arash X

Another typical Amanda Bynes Comedy/Romance & What a nauseous ending it reminded me of Popstar's ending
Cassie H

Loved It!!!!!
Curtis L

Got trapped into watching this one.
Jason S

There isn't anything new going on in this movie but the actors pulled it off well. I like Amanda Bynes and I thought a lot of the stuff she did was pulled of great. Her facial expressions that she does during a lot of her scenes make her great to watch.
danny d

i usually hate high school movies, but this one is fantastic. love me some amanda bynes