Review: 'She's The Man" is Ready For Cult Status

"She's the Man" is a movie smothered in cheese, but it hasn't achieved cult following. All that is going to change now that this taintless teenage sex comedy is out on Blu-ray for the first time ever. With an farcical script loosely inspired by Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," campy acting that is just a notch above sketch comedy, and plenty of sexy women and (almost always shirtless) men, the film is well on its way to cult favorite status.

This movie opens with a sexy game of soccer on the beach. Viola (Amanda Bynes) is quite good at the sport, and her boyfriend Justin (Robert Hoffman), the captain of the school's team, is quick to let her know that. But later on, when the women's soccer program is cut from the season and Viola asks to play on the men's team, her not-so-loyal boyfriend discounts her as the weaker sex.

Viola gets the idea to disguise herself as her twin brother Sebastian, get herself on the rival soccer team, play against her sexist boyfriend, and show up all the small-minded people around her. Sebastian (Justin Kirk), a musician but not an athlete, darts off on a secret trip to London, allowing his sister to fill his shoes. With the help of her stylist friend Paul (Jonathan Sadowski), Viola is able to pull off a disguise.

Things get complicated when Viola, as Sebastian, meets her new roommate, the dreamy-eyed, perfectly-chiseled Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum). (In this case, Duke is not a title but a ruggedly macho first name.) Duke rules the soccer field, but remains painfully shy around women, particularly Olivia (Laura Ramsey), a fellow student that has caught his fancy.

When the disguised Viola fails to make first string on the soccer team, Duke agrees to coach her in exchange for her aid in his wooing of Olivia. This only works up to a point, because Olivia could care less about Duke and finds herself falling for the pretty and sensitive "Sebastian." Meanwhile, Viola, who should be convincing her school that she is actually male and concentrating on her sport, instead finds her male self falling for her handsome roommate and coach.

The acting is more than adequately amplified, but former footballer Vinnie Jones as Coach Dinklage is, as always, effortlessly amusing. As the object of affection, Tatum plays his role with a subtlety absent in the rest of the cast. He lets the other actors mug around him, never tempted to play at their level. Consequently, he's the perfectly straight man and magnificently funny in his own right. Bynes is charming, but a little too much most of the time, especially when she's trying to play male. One has to wonder where is she getting that strange accent. It's not exactly ethnic or bro-speak, and it's certainly not how real people talk. Eventually you realize that this is a highly exaggerated, often grotesque impression of Tatum. Suddenly, what was irritating can't help but be amusing.

With plenty of special features, such as three making-of videos, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary, collectors can savor the silliness over and over.

"She's the Man" strides onto Blu-ray March 2.