She's the Man Movie Review (2024)

Common Sense Media Review

By Cynthia Fuchs , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 12+

Cute but crass comedy based on Shakespeare play.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 12+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    some

    Kissing. Viola sneaks showers (no body parts shown); discussions of sexual orientation and activities (not explicit). References to male genitals (in one scene, to prove he's a boy, Sebastian drops his pants on the soccer field -- his father makes a positive comment about the size of his son's penis). Viola raises her soccer jersey and exposes her breasts (not shown on camera) to prove she's a girl.

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  • Language

    a little

    "Hell," "goddammit," "ass." Some derogatory slang -- "bee-yatch," "nancy boy," "playing like girls." Sexual slang such as "I'd tap that" and allusions such as "She gives good nod."

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  • Violence & Scariness

    a little

    Some slapstick and pratfalls; three girls fight in a bathroom, punching and slamming each other against walls (played as comedy); a soccer ball hits Viola's crotch when she's in drag, and she must pretend it hurts like it would for a boy. A fight breaks out between two teen boys, with punching and kicking. A fight breaks out during a soccer match.

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  • Positive Role Models

    a little

    Viola is determined to go to great, if absurd, lengths to prove that she's just as good on the soccer field as the best boys on the team.

  • Positive Messages

    very little

    Movie employs a retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to make a comment on sexism in sports.

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that She's the Man is a 2006 movie in which Amanda Bynes plays a girl determined to prove she's just as good as the boys on the soccer field are and disguises herself as her vacationing brother to prove this point. The movie is intended to be a modernized version of the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night, and, as such, Bynes' character's gender switch leads to frequent misunderstandings and deceptions leading to further deceptions. The humor is frequently derived from sex. When dressed as her brother and showing up at her dorm for the first time, her/his roommates find her tampons, she claims it's for bloody noses; later a character stops up a bloody nose with one of her tampons. Characters are forced to prove they are who they say they are by exposing their naked body parts (not shown); when Viola's actual brother drops his pants, their father conveys pride in the size of his penis. Expect three teen girls fighting in a restroom and male characters getting into fisticuffs both on and off the soccer field. Also expect some profanity ("hell," "ass"), as well as allusions to sexuality -- for instance, "She gives good nod." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

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She's the Man

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents say (11)
  • Kids say (88)

age 13+

Based on 11 parent reviews

G52018 Parent of 14, 16 and 18+-year-old

April 14, 2024

age 12+

this movie is an inspiration to me as a girl. i also learned everything i need to know about boys from this movie.

SharonHoodlim Adult

November 6, 2021

age 13+

Good but not for young kids

Sex: Viola gets the chance to see naked men in a locker room, and at a soccer game there is nudity referring to penis and breasts. A kissing booth is also involved and lots of passionate kissing. Violence: There are lots of fights. (mild not that wild) Fight between 2 men and 3 women. Positive messages: NonePositive rolemodels: NoneSwearing: Mild swearing as in: Byoch (to be bitch) dumb, stupid

Rate movie

See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, SHE'S THE MAN centers on Viola (Amanda Bynes), who hits a major road bump when she learns her high school girls' soccer team has been cut for lack of funding. When she asks to try out for the boys' team, the coach tells her flat out, "Girls can't be boys." With no support from her boyfriend, Justin (Robert Hoffman) or her mom (Julie Hagerty), Viola finds a way to takes her brother's place at his new high school, Ilysia. Outfitted with a short wig and briefly trained on how to be a boy, Viola-as-Sebastian rooms with Duke (Channing Tatum) and makes the soccer team. Viola soon develops a crush on Duke, who likes their classmate Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who in turn develops an interest in Viola-as-Sebastian. As the romantic confusion escalates, so do Viola's frantic efforts to maintain her masquerade. In a frenzied climax at a Carnival festival, quick-change-artist Viola attends as herself (flirting with Duke) and Sebastian (advising Duke as he pursues Olivia). All the while, Viola-as-Sebastian avoids taking showers with her teammates, finagles her way out of a hazing ritual, and proves her worth on the soccer field.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (11):

Kids say (88):

Cute, crass, and happily unbelievable, SHE'S THE MAN is buoyed by Amanda Bynes' vivacious performance as a girl who pretends to be a boy. Increasingly unwieldy as the plot threads must be sorted out, the film relies heavily on the delightful Bynes (when she's not on-screen for a few minutes, the energy sags considerably). Once Viola absorbs her boy lessons, she finds it hard to be a girl in scenes that go overboard: She gnaws at her food, straddles her chair, fights with fellow debutantes in the ladies' room. Eventually she learns to be "herself." Not the best movie out there, but entertaining for a sleepover or teen movie night.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about gender roles and the limits of gender-based expectations. How are girls and boys trained to behave in specific ways? How does Viola come to see that lying to her mother, new friends, and eventual boyfriend is not the best way to make her point about gender equality?

  • This movie is based on the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night. What do you think would be the challenges in taking a play first performed in 1602 and updating it for modern audiences?

  • How did this movie address sexism and equality? Did the comedy heighten the overall message, or was the message muddied by all the story twists?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: March 17, 2006
  • On DVD or streaming: July 18, 2006
  • Cast: Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Vinnie Jones
  • Director: Andy Fickman
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: DreamWorks
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Brothers and Sisters, High School
  • Run time: 105 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: for some sexual material
  • Last updated: June 1, 2024

Inclusion information powered by She's the Man Movie Review (7)

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She's the Man Movie Review (2024)

FAQs

What is the message of the movie She's the Man? ›

The main message of the movie is about the unfairness of being treated unequally because of gender. There is also a message about the unethical use of emotional blackmail, as in deliberately making someone you are attracted to jealous in order to gain attention.

Is she's the man appropriate for a 12 year old? ›

She's the Man [2006] [PG-13] - 4.3. 3 | Parents' Guide & Review | Kids-In-Mind.com. SEX/NUDITY 4 - A young woman kisses a young man on the neck, he kisses her on the neck, and she then leaves. A young man and a young woman kiss, she says, "I know tricks" and they lie on the ground together (off-screen).

Is She's the Man worth watching? ›

She's the Man is a clear comedy. She's the Man is hilarious, seems original, and does a great job telling a story. The acting is amazing and really captures the comedy.

What questions to ask about movie reviews? ›

What did you learn from this movie? What surprised you? Was there something you didn't understand? What did you like best about the movie?

What is the greatness quote from She's the man? ›

Duke : It's just like what Coach says before every game: Be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. I think our best chance to be great here today, is to have you play.

What is the gender stereotype in the movie She's the man? ›

She's The Man movie reflects the struggle for gender stereotype and prejudices that women can do better than man. Many people consider that women cannot play soccer game like men. They regard that women are weak person and always associated with domestic area.

Does she's the man have cuss words? ›

Also expect some profanity ("hell," "ass"), as well as allusions to sexuality -- for instance, "She gives good nod." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

What's the plot of She's the man? ›

What happened to Amanda Bynes? ›

In her highly publicized personal life, she has struggled with mental health and other issues, and was in a conservatorship from August 2013 to March 2022. She retired from acting in June 2010.

Is she's the man lgbtq? ›

The one canonically queer character is Paul, the hairdresser that helps Viola transform into a man. At the very end of the movie, he's seen at the debutante ball, flirting with Duke's friend Andrew, who seems into his attention.

How old was Channing Tatum in She's the man? ›

Born on April 26, 1980, Tatum was 25 years old when She's the Man was filmed in the summer of 2005. That gives him a seven or eight-year age gap with Duke, who would be around 17 or 18 years old in the movie. Tatum's age almost cost him the role of Duke in She's the Man.

Can Channing Tatum play soccer? ›

Channing Tatum Didn't Know How to Play Soccer Before 'She's the Man' - IMDb. Channing Tatum may have seemed like a borderline soccer pro in She's the Man, but the actor admitted his skills weren't as impressive in the sport as they seemed onscreen.

Do reviews matter for movies? ›

Overall, Does Quality Matter? Let's start with the headline finding: in almost all situations, the better a film is, the higher chance it will reach profitability. Of the films with the lowest critic scores (i.e. Metascore under 20 out of 100) only 29% made a profit.

What do you say in a movie review? ›

How to Write a Movie Review
  • Watch the film at least once. ...
  • Express your opinions and support your criticism. ...
  • Consider your audience. ...
  • Talk about the acting. ...
  • Call out directors, cinematographers, and special effects. ...
  • No spoilers! ...
  • Study the professionals. ...
  • Reread, rewrite, and edit.
Mar 13, 2024

How do I ask if the movie is good? ›

First response
  1. How did the film make you feel? What aspects worked well, and which didn't (think about writing, direction, cinematography, acting, editing and soundtrack)?
  2. To what extent did it fit with your expectations, or did it subvert them in some ways?

What is the message behind the movie Men? ›

The film explores the theme of toxic masculinity and sexism, using body horror and explicit symbolism to convey its message.

What is the movie She's the man about? ›

What is the movie Message man about? ›

What is the overall message of the poem An Essay on Man? ›

Overview of the Poem

Pope explains that human beings cannot come to fully understand their purpose in life by using only their mental faculties. Although humanity is at the top of the fixed hierarchy of the natural world, there are many things we cannot know, and so we must not attempt to become godlike.

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