Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Claire Forlani, Jason Biggs, Amanda Detmer, Heather Donahue
Director: Robert Iscove
Producers: Jay Cohen, Lee Gottsegen, Murray Schisgal
Screenplay: The Drews
Cinematography: Ralf D. Bode
Music: Stewart Copeland
U.S. Distributor: Dimension Films
Note to readers: this review contains spoilers. While I do not believe the revelation of certain plot points will in any way compromise the viewing experience, those who wish to see Boys and Girls without having previous knowledge of a key element would do well to bail out now and return after they have seen the film.
Ever had a sinking sense of déjà vu shortly into the first reel of a motion picture - like you've seen this all before, done better, and are now about to sit through an inferior copy? If not, you may want to try out Boys and Girls to experience the feeling. The latest romantic formula endeavor from Robert Iscove (She's All That) is a stripped-down, dumbed-down When Harry Met Sally set on a college campus. The only problem is, all the little things that made Rob Reiner's comedy so endearing are absent. The premise behind When Harry Met Sally was old a decade ago, and it hasn't gotten any fresher since. The elements that differentiated Reiner's movie from its antecedents were a witty screenplay and a genuine sense of connection between the two leads. Boys and Girls lacks both qualities - and more. Instead of relying upon traditional cinematic ingredients, Dimension Films has targeted a specific audience (primarily teenage girls) and crafted a by-the-numbers picture designed to exploit that group of viewers. (This will only seem like a cynical statement to those who haven't seen the movie.)
See if any of this sounds familiar... A guy (Ryan, played by Freddie Prinze Jr.) and a girl (Jennifer, played by Claire Forlani) meet and almost instantly dislike each other. A few years pass by, and they run into each other again. This encounter only strengthens their mutual disdain. Later, however, during a subsequent meeting, they bury the hatchet. Soon, they're friends, then constant companions. They have both suffered romantic hardships, so they console one another and encourage each other to start dating again. Eventually, in a moment of weakness, they have sex and it alters everything. They "agree" it was a mistake, but one of them has been deeply hurt by the other's "morning after" reaction. Then, after a period of painful separation, there's a heartfelt confession of love. This is the storyline of Boys and Girls, and, with only a few minor changes, it could function as an accurate description of When Harry Met Sally, right down to a subplot where the male protagonist's closest buddy (Jason Biggs) becoming involved with the female lead's best friend (Amanda Detmer). (However, there is no R-rated faked orgasm in a café during Boys and Girls. Instead, we get a PG-13 rant about being dumped.)
Boys and Girls breezes through overly-familiar territory. To some extent, this is a comfortable motion picture - it certainly doesn't challenge its audience in any way. But the romance is pre-fabricated and bland, like those cookie-cutter houses that dot the streets of suburbia. They're all the same; why bother seeing the latest one? There's no sexual chemistry between Prinze and Forlani. I can buy them as good friends who sit together in coffee shops and swap dating horror stories, but not as star-crossed lovers repeatedly thrown together by fate. There's affection here, but no heat. A spark wouldn't produce a fire; it would just cause a lot of noxious smoke and eye irritation.
Then there's the ending, which wallows in the kind of over-the-top melodrama that can seriously damage a good movie, not to mention a mediocre one. We know that Boys and Girls will conclude with Ryan and Jennifer declaring their unending, undying love for each other, then moving on to a bright future (which will probably end in a breakup four or five months later, but that's another movie). So why not present this scene intelligently and with reserve? The opportunity is there, complete with a gorgeous mountainside setting. Instead, however, the filmmakers decide to ratchet up the level of melodrama and associated absurdity a couple of notches. So we are presented with the kind of "big finale" that we are constantly exposed to in romantic comedies. What no one seems to realize, however, is that these plot contortions don't intensify the sense of romance, they diminish it. After all, which is more satisfying: Tom Cruise's heartfelt declaration of love at the end of Jerry Maguire or the shenanigans that wrap-up Never Been Kissed? Case closed.
The actors - at least the two leads - appear to have been chosen based largely upon looks. Not many teenagers are going to pay to see a pair of pimpled, slightly-overweight college students fall in love, even though that's a lot closer to the reality of the situation. Movies like Boys and Girls sell fantasy, so we get Freddie Prinze Jr. and Claire Forlani. Prinze, who appeared in Iscove's last movie, She's All That, is a hot young star who projects an affable personality but has no discernable range. His attempts to play a socially inept geek (i.e., an engineering student) are awkward. Claire Forlani, whose most visible role to date has been as Brad Pitt's girlfriend in Meet Joe Black, is a capable actress, but she isn't given much of a chance to show it here. Supporting players include Jason Biggs (the lead in American Pie, who appears to have been typecast, and probably doesn't mind because it means work) as Hunter, Amanda Detmer (the girl who met a "sudden" end in Final Destination) as Amy, and, in what amounts to little more than a cameo, Heather Donahue (alive and well, despite the ending of The Blair Witch Project) as Megan.
There is one instance during Boys and Girls when the film appears to start along an interesting detour, then suddenly backtracks and returns to the well-trodden, expected path. A hint of lesbianism is introduced into the relationship between Jennifer and Amy. However, in the wake of a mouth-to-mouth kiss, the screenplay works hard to dismiss, then ignore, the event. Why leave this scene in, unless it's to titillate the audience? From a plot standpoint, it's superfluous, and just leads to a lot of psychological double-speak. In fact, that's one problem with a lot of the dialogue in this movie. The characters don't talk to each other, they talk at each other. Genuine conversations are scarce.
Although the atmosphere in Boys and Girls feels something like that of a college campus (primarily because it was filmed on one), we aren't exposed to much of the educational side of things. Aside from a few offhand remarks about papers, homework, and exams, the action here might all be taking place in some young adult fantasy playground. That's in keeping with the film's overall tone, which attempts to divorce itself from reality. Unfortunately, the lack of a lifelike setting puts the focus entirely on the central romance, and the Ryan/Jennifer relationship isn't strong enough to stand up to such close scrutiny. For the closing scenes to have a payoff, we need to want these two to be together. Here, about the strongest feeling we can muster is: "Well, it would be nice if they became a couple, but, if not, there's always someone else for each of them."
© 2000 James Berardinelli