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She's the Man

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She's the Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndy Fickman
Screenplay by
Story byEwan Leslie
Based onTwelfth Night by
William Shakespeare
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGreg Gardiner
Edited byMichael Jablow
Music byNathan Wang
Production
companies
Distributed by
[1]
Release date
  • March 17, 2006 (2006-03-17)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20–25 million[2][1]
Box office$57.2 million[2]

She’s the Man is a 2006 American romantic comedy teen sports film directed by Andy Fickman and starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, and David Cross. Loosely inspired by William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night,[3] the film follows teenager Viola Hastings, who disguises herself as her twin brother to attend his new boarding school, Illyria Prep, and join the boys’ soccer team.

She's the Man emerged as a moderate commercial success, grossing $57.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $20–25 million. While critical response was mixed, Bynes’s performance received widespread praise, and the film has since developed a cult following.

Plot

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Viola Hastings is a teenager who plays for the girls' soccer team at Cornwall Prep and hopes to join the North Carolina Tar Heels. When the team is cut, she and her teammates attempt to join the boys' team but are rejected by the coach. Her boyfriend, Justin, sides with the coach, leading to their breakup.

Meanwhile, Viola's twin brother, Sebastian, is scheduled to transfer to Illyria Prep after being expelled for skipping classes. Instead, he secretly leaves for London with his band. Viola decides to take his place at Illyria and join the boys' soccer team in disguise, intending to prove her ability and challenge the decision to cancel the girls' team. With assistance from her friend Paul, she transforms her appearance and enrolls as Sebastian.

At Illyria, Viola shares a room with Duke Orsino, the soccer team's captain. She fails to impress the coach during tryouts and is placed on second string. Initially considered socially awkward, Viola gains acceptance after Paul stages an appearance with several girls at a pizzeria. Viola is assigned Olivia Lennox as a lab partner, which frustrates Duke, who has feelings for Olivia. Viola offers to help Duke attract Olivia if he agrees to train her in soccer. Her performance improves, and she is promoted to first string.

At a school carnival, Viola and Duke interact at a kissing booth. Duke later expresses to "Sebastian" that he is developing feelings for Viola. Olivia, meanwhile, becomes interested in "Sebastian" and asks Duke out in an attempt to provoke jealousy. Viola misinterprets the situation, believing Duke has lost interest in her, but later encourages Olivia to speak to "Sebastian" directly.

Sebastian returns from London earlier than expected and arrives at Illyria. Olivia confesses her feelings and kisses him, which Duke witnesses, leading to a confrontation between Duke and who he believes is his roommate. Viola oversleeps and misses the first half of an important match, during which Sebastian plays in her place and struggles. At halftime, Viola explains the situation to her brother, and they switch places.

During the second half, Duke refuses to cooperate on the field. Viola responds by revealing her identity to the team and coach. She plays the remainder of the match and scores the decisive goal. After the game, the school learns the full details of the impersonation. Duke later reconciles with Viola. Sebastian and Olivia begin a relationship, and Viola’s parents, who had been unaware of the deception, agree to improved communication. Viola and Duke attend the debutante ball together, and she joins the Illyria boys’ soccer team.

Cast

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Production

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Channing Tatum was cast in the film at the insistence of Bynes, who felt that he would be perfect in the role.

She’s the Man was directed by Andy Fickman and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. The film was produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, Tom Rosenberg, and Gary Lucchesi, and is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum were cast in the lead roles of Viola Hastings and Duke Orsino, respectively. Tatum was cast at the suggestion of Bynes, who advocated for his selection despite initial hesitations from the studio.[4] In a 2018 interview with Paper, Bynes recalled, "I totally fought for Channing [to get cast in] that movie because he wasn’t famous yet... He’d just done a Mountain Dew commercial and I was like, ‘This guy’s a star—every girl will love him!’"[5][4]

To prepare for her role—her first portraying a character of the opposite sex—Bynes worked with director Fickman to observe male behavior at shopping malls.[6] In a 2006 interview, she described the role as challenging and said she initially felt "awkward" performing as a male character. However, she later referred to the experience as cathartic, noting that she was ultimately satisfied with having completed a difficult role.[6] In the same 2018 Paper interview, Bynes stated that seeing herself in male disguise on screen contributed to a period of depression, saying, "I went into a deep depression for four to six months because I didn’t like how I looked when I was a boy."[5]

Neither Bynes nor Tatum had prior experience with soccer and trained extensively during production, spending hours each day practicing the sport.[7] A bathroom fight scene involving characters played by Bynes, Laura Ramsey and Alexandra Breckenridge featured several stunts performed by the actresses themselves. Director Fickman noted in a behind-the-scenes feature that while stunt performers were present, "when you see the cut of the movie, it’s a lot of our girls pounding each other."[6][8]

Reception

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Box office

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She's the Man opened at number four at the North American box office, earning $10.7 million in its opening weekend.[2] Produced on a budget of approximately $20–25 million, the film went on to gross $33.7 million in the United States and Canada and $23.5 million in international markets, for a worldwide total of $57.2 million.[1]

Critical reception

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Bynes's performance was universally acclaimed, winning her a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award; it has often been considered her signature film role.

She's the Man received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 44% based on 114 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Shakespeare's wit gets lost in translation with She's the Man's broad slapstick, predictable jokes, and unconvincing plotline."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[11]

Amanda Bynes’s performance received widespread praise from several critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times commented, "More importantly, we like her," describing Bynes as "sunny and plucky" in an otherwise implausible role.[12] Ruth Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle noted Bynes’s comedic timing, highlighting a scene in which her character observes and mimics the behavior of male students. Stein wrote that "she's not going to win an Oscar for playing a boy... but Bynes makes a far more convincing one than Barbra Streisand in Yentl (1983)."[13] Refinery29 praised Bynes’s dual performance, stating she brought “awkward charisma” to the role and delivered “one of her best, most challenging performances.”[14][15]

Some criticism was directed at the film’s plot and casting. Ebert noted that Channing Tatum, aged 26 at the time of filming, was "a little old to play a high school kid."[12] Neil Smith for BBCi remarked that “Bynes tackles her part with gusto, while Tatum underplays his to striking effect,” suggesting that while the performances were competent, the pairing was uneven.[16]

Accolades

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Award Date of the ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Teen Choice Awards August 20, 2006 Choice Movie: Comedy She's The Man Won [17]
Choice Movie Actor: Breakout Channing Tatum Won
Choice Movie: Liplock Channing Tatum & Amanda Bynes Nominated
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards 2007 Worst Actress Amanda Bynes Nominated [18]
Kids' Choice Awards March 31, 2007 Favorite Female Movie Star Won [19]

Home media

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She’s the Man was released on DVD on June 27, 2006, in both widescreen and fullscreen editions.[20] For its 15th anniversary, the film was released on Blu-ray for the first time by Paramount Home Entertainment on March 2, 2021.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "She's the Man (2006) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  2. ^ a b c "She's the Man". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Carlin, Shannon (March 17, 2016). "What She's The Man Taught Us About Gender Roles". Refinery29. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ^ a b El-Mahmoud, Sarah (November 27, 2018). "Amanda Bynes Fought For Channing Tatum's She's The Man Role". CINEMABLEND. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Barr, Sabrina (November 27, 2018). "Amanda Bynes speaks out about drug abuse in new tell-all interview". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Dambrosio, Christina (March 15, 2020). "13 things you probably didn't know about 'She's the Man'". Insider. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Azuli, Noa (July 16, 2018). "'She's the Man' Is the Most Important Soccer Movie of All Time". Vice. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  8. ^ She's The Man: Behind the Scenes - Bathroom Catfight - YouTube. www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  9. ^ "She's the Man Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  10. ^ "She's the Man Reviews, Ratings, Credits". Metacritic. CBS. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  11. ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  12. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (March 16, 2006). "'Twelfth Night' vs. 12th grade". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  13. ^ Stein, Ruthe (2006-03-17). "'Twelfth Night' gets booted into teen soccer turf". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  14. ^ Cohen, Anne. "The Dark Message At The Heart Of She's The Man Sadly Still Applies Today". www.refinery29.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  15. ^ Todd, Carolyn L. "This Is Amanda Bynes' Greatest Contribution To Film, Ever". www.refinery29.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  16. ^ "BBC - Movies - review - She's The Man". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  17. ^ Corey Moss (2006-08-21). "Britney Introduces K-Fed, Nick Lachey Scores 'Awkward' Award At Teen Choice 2006". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ^ "Stinkers Bad Movie Awards - 2006 Ballot". The Stinkers. Archived from the original on 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  19. ^ "2007 KCA Winners Release / Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2007 Press Kit". web.archive.org. 2007-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  20. ^ "Release Dates: She's the Man (2006)".
  21. ^ "She's the Man Blu-ray (15th Anniversary Edition)". Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
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