In updating the story of
Snow White to the present day on a college campus,
Sydney White is a bizarre combination of wonderful imagination and wit, and dry conventional plotting. The movie is at its best when its relying on the charm and humor of its lead star, Amanda Bynes, who is a very bright young adult actress who I can't wait to see grow into more adult roles. (I can imagine her being successful in a smart adult romantic comedy in a few years.) It also has a surprising amount of intelligent humor and sly writing in its screenplay. It's only when director Joe Nussbaum (
Sleepover) and writer Chad Creasey (TV's
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) rely too heavily on moldy teen movie cliches that the movie falters, held up only by its winning and talented cast.
Ever since her mother died when she was young, tomboyish Sydney White (Amanda Bynes) has been raised by men her entire life. Her loving father (John Schneider) is a plumber who works for a construction company, so most of her companions have been construction men. The time has come for Sydney to leave for college, and she's anxious to join the same Sorority that her mother was a part of, hoping she can build some lasting female relationships. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she finds that the Sorority House is ruled by a blonde tyrant named Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton from
Aquamarine), who not only runs the House with an iron fist, but also most of the campus. Rachel takes pride in being the "fairest girl on campus", as evidenced by a website where the students choose the hottest girls in college. When Sydney's name appears and starts climbing the chart, threatening Rachel's long-standing #1 position, she casts her out of the House. With nowhere else to go, Sydney is forced to take refuge in The Vortex, a run down house inhabited by a group of outcasts who are commonly referred to as "the Seven Dorks". Her love and knowledge of comic books makes Sydney fit right in with them, and she becomes determined to teach them how to stand up for themselves, and maybe even overthrow Rachel's rule over the campus. At the same time, Sydney must try to win the heart of the handsome Tyler Prince (Matt Long), who used to date Rachel back in middle school, and still seems to be trying to cut ties off with her, even though they broke up years ago.
I must admit, I did not exactly have high hopes walking into
Sydney White, and I don't blame you for not having any after reading that synopsis. The movie is certainly filled with the usual teen movie cliche traps, such as romantic misunderstandings, popularity battles, and wild parties. And yet, there is a certain unconventional aspect that sneaks in every now and then that makes this movie a lot better than it normally would be. Some of the ways the film accomplishes this is in updating the story of
Snow White with many clever references. A "poison apple" in this case refers to the evil Rachel enlisting the help of a campus hacker to infect Sydney's Apple notebook with a virus. More than that, the movie has a very sweet charm and innocence, plus a surprisingly smart sense of humor. A lot of this has to do with lead star Bynes, who seems to be improvising a lot of her lines, many of which made me smile. Her side comments to her ditzy new roommate when she first arrives at the Sorority House, and sometimes just her face reaction to what's going on proves that she definitely is skilled. She's a likable actress, has a great screen presence, and I'd love to see her in more challenging roles.
The movie continued to win me over a little bit further with the introduction of the "Seven Dorks", who initially come across as your cliched extreme nerd types, but have a lot more warmth and heart to them than I expected. There are some oddballs in the group, such as a guy who is so shy he only talks to others through a hand puppet that he constantly caries with him (I liked the way the puppet reacts for him, and drops its jaw at plot developments, while his face remains unemotional.), but they are not so extreme that they don't come across as being human. They're likable misfits, and get their own share of laughs throughout the film. Another character who impressed me is Sydney's Sorority roommate, Dinky (Crystal Hunt). She initially comes across as an obnoxiously perky stereotype, but both the screenplay and the performance by Hunt eventually builds her into a more likable character. You can tell that the screenplay cares about these characters a little bit more than the norm, because of the way it slips in some genuine feeling and lines that actually made me laugh. This ultimately is what leads me to my biggest frustration about the film. The movie cares, but doesn't care enough to go all the way.
I almost wanted to recommend
Sydney White, but had to hold myself back when the intelligence and the clever writing takes a back seat to overly conventional plot developments. The movie almost seems to short change itself during the second half. These characters who were so likeably off beat in the opening hour or so become trapped in a moldy storyline of campus rivalries, jealousy, romantic misunderstandings, school elections, and a climax that almost seems to be ripped right out of the original
Revenge of the Nerds movie. I had to wonder if this was the result of studio tampering, as the movie takes such an unnatural turn during its second half. The movie manages to stay afloat, thanks mostly to the performances, but the laughs and the smart ideas become fewer and further apart. I liked the movie better when it was letting Sydney and the inhabitants of The Vortex just be themselves, rather than throwing them into a plot where she has to win the guy, and they have to stand up for themselves. We've seen this so many times before, and the movie does absolutely nothing different. What starts as a fresh and quirky look at the college comedy turns into a strictly by the numbers venture.
Although I can't fully get behind
Sydney White, I do admire the film greatly for what it does right. This is a much better film than it probably has a right to be, and is sure to keep adults accompanying their kids at least interested enough to keep them from looking at their watches. I only wish the movie had the courage to keep its initial tone all the way through the film, then we would have had something. At the very least, it does show off the comedic talents of Amanda Bynes, and strengthens my belief that she will be on her way to greater things if she can just find the right project.
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In updating the story of Snow White to the present day on a college campus, Sydney White is a bizarre combination of wonderful imagination and wit, and dry conventional plotting. The movie is at its best when its relying on the charm and humor of its lead star, Amanda Bynes, who is a very bright young adult actress who I can't wait to see grow into more adult roles. (I can imagine her being successful in a smart adult romantic comedy in a few years.) It also has a surprising amount of intelligent humor and sly writing in its screenplay. It's only when director Joe Nussbaum (Sleepover) and writer Chad Creasey (TV's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) rely too heavily on moldy teen movie cliches that the movie falters, held up only by its winning and talented cast.
Ever since her mother died when she was young, tomboyish Sydney White (Amanda Bynes) has been raised by men her entire life. Her loving father (John Schneider) is a plumber who works for a construction company, so most of her companions have been construction men. The time has come for Sydney to leave for college, and she's anxious to join the same Sorority that her mother was a part of, hoping she can build some lasting female relationships. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she finds that the Sorority House is ruled by a blonde tyrant named Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton from Aquamarine), who not only runs the House with an iron fist, but also most of the campus. Rachel takes pride in being the "fairest girl on campus", as evidenced by a website where the students choose the hottest girls in college. When Sydney's name appears and starts climbing the chart, threatening Rachel's long-standing #1 position, she casts her out of the House. With nowhere else to go, Sydney is forced to take refuge in The Vortex, a run down house inhabited by a group of outcasts who are commonly referred to as "the Seven Dorks". Her love and knowledge of comic books makes Sydney fit right in with them, and she becomes determined to teach them how to stand up for themselves, and maybe even overthrow Rachel's rule over the campus. At the same time, Sydney must try to win the heart of the handsome Tyler Prince (Matt Long), who used to date Rachel back in middle school, and still seems to be trying to cut ties off with her, even though they broke up years ago.
I must admit, I did not exactly have high hopes walking into Sydney White, and I don't blame you for not having any after reading that synopsis. The movie is certainly filled with the usual teen movie cliche traps, such as romantic misunderstandings, popularity battles, and wild parties. And yet, there is a certain unconventional aspect that sneaks in every now and then that makes this movie a lot better than it normally would be. Some of the ways the film accomplishes this is in updating the story of Snow White with many clever references. A "poison apple" in this case refers to the evil Rachel enlisting the help of a campus hacker to infect Sydney's Apple notebook with a virus. More than that, the movie has a very sweet charm and innocence, plus a surprisingly smart sense of humor. A lot of this has to do with lead star Bynes, who seems to be improvising a lot of her lines, many of which made me smile. Her side comments to her ditzy new roommate when she first arrives at the Sorority House, and sometimes just her face reaction to what's going on proves that she definitely is skilled. She's a likable actress, has a great screen presence, and I'd love to see her in more challenging roles.
The movie continued to win me over a little bit further with the introduction of the "Seven Dorks", who initially come across as your cliched extreme nerd types, but have a lot more warmth and heart to them than I expected. There are some oddballs in the group, such as a guy who is so shy he only talks to others through a hand puppet that he constantly caries with him (I liked the way the puppet reacts for him, and drops its jaw at plot developments, while his face remains unemotional.), but they are not so extreme that they don't come across as being human. They're likable misfits, and get their own share of laughs throughout the film. Another character who impressed me is Sydney's Sorority roommate, Dinky (Crystal Hunt). She initially comes across as an obnoxiously perky stereotype, but both the screenplay and the performance by Hunt eventually builds her into a more likable character. You can tell that the screenplay cares about these characters a little bit more than the norm, because of the way it slips in some genuine feeling and lines that actually made me laugh. This ultimately is what leads me to my biggest frustration about the film. The movie cares, but doesn't care enough to go all the way.
I almost wanted to recommend Sydney White, but had to hold myself back when the intelligence and the clever writing takes a back seat to overly conventional plot developments. The movie almost seems to short change itself during the second half. These characters who were so likeably off beat in the opening hour or so become trapped in a moldy storyline of campus rivalries, jealousy, romantic misunderstandings, school elections, and a climax that almost seems to be ripped right out of the original Revenge of the Nerds movie. I had to wonder if this was the result of studio tampering, as the movie takes such an unnatural turn during its second half. The movie manages to stay afloat, thanks mostly to the performances, but the laughs and the smart ideas become fewer and further apart. I liked the movie better when it was letting Sydney and the inhabitants of The Vortex just be themselves, rather than throwing them into a plot where she has to win the guy, and they have to stand up for themselves. We've seen this so many times before, and the movie does absolutely nothing different. What starts as a fresh and quirky look at the college comedy turns into a strictly by the numbers venture.
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