Basically this is a knock-off version of Legally Blonde, except here, our protagonist actually is a shallow bimbo, played by Anna Faris with a voice that sounds like a lobotomised Marilyn Monroe.
Our 'heroine' Shirley Darlingson (Anna Faris) has been kicked out of her spiritual home, the Playboy Mansion, and finding herself homeless, she stumbles upon a college house and becomes housemother to a failing sorority, complete with the tired clichés of hot-girl who wears glasses and is a bit geeky (Emma Stone, probably the most likeable character in this and shows her talent for romcoms), a hardcore feminist with lots of piercings, girl in a full body brace, and a lumbering manly one who even after the obligatory hot makeover, is basically exactly the same.
The problem with this film is that it can't decide whether it wants to be satirical or heart-warming, so it ends up being neither. Shelley is too stupid to function and Faris never shows any warmth for her character. The reason why Legally Blonde was so good is that Elle, despite looking like a 'bimbo' and having shallow interests, was actually intelligent. Here, the book is exactly as it is on the cover (both in Shelley's character and the film).
As a compromise, the 'outcasts' of the sorority house, after having been turned into tarty bimbos, decide that they must dress up a little bit so as not to be so freakish outcasts. Gone are such 'geeky' things like glasses and body braces and hooray, they can get boyfriends, their only aim in life! Wouldn't want to scare them off by implying any intelligence.
It's surprising to think this came out in 2008; it feels hopelessly dated in how it recycles its clichés, and purports to be supporting 'being yourself'- as long as you're a socially acceptable version of yourself.
Our 'heroine' Shirley Darlingson (Anna Faris) has been kicked out of her spiritual home, the Playboy Mansion, and finding herself homeless, she stumbles upon a college house and becomes housemother to a failing sorority, complete with the tired clichés of hot-girl who wears glasses and is a bit geeky (Emma Stone, probably the most likeable character in this and shows her talent for romcoms), a hardcore feminist with lots of piercings, girl in a full body brace, and a lumbering manly one who even after the obligatory hot makeover, is basically exactly the same.
The problem with this film is that it can't decide whether it wants to be satirical or heart-warming, so it ends up being neither. Shelley is too stupid to function and Faris never shows any warmth for her character. The reason why Legally Blonde was so good is that Elle, despite looking like a 'bimbo' and having shallow interests, was actually intelligent. Here, the book is exactly as it is on the cover (both in Shelley's character and the film).
As a compromise, the 'outcasts' of the sorority house, after having been turned into tarty bimbos, decide that they must dress up a little bit so as not to be so freakish outcasts. Gone are such 'geeky' things like glasses and body braces and hooray, they can get boyfriends, their only aim in life! Wouldn't want to scare them off by implying any intelligence.
It's surprising to think this came out in 2008; it feels hopelessly dated in how it recycles its clichés, and purports to be supporting 'being yourself'- as long as you're a socially acceptable version of yourself.