With transgender rights rising toward the top of the news cycle for the first time in human history, it’s interesting to look back at two films that couldn’t be made today – at least not in the same way. But “Just One of the Guys” (1985) and “She’s the Man” (2006) both hold up as light comedies about a high school girl who poses as a high school boy.
Both update Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” with “She’s the Man” overtly giving the Bard credit by using his character names. It’s a fun film, with broad set-ups to draw laughs. But “Just One of the Guys” is more of a thoughtful dramedy, and my slight preference between the two.
‘Just One of the Guys’
In the older film, Joyce Hyser convincingly passes as a guy, very much helped by the flashy, androgynous fashions of the Eighties. Terry switches schools when her journalism teacher says her submission for an internship contest isn’t good enough. The teacher’s overheard chat with an openly sexist colleague suggests to Terry that sexism played into his decision.
“Just One of the Guys” (1985)
Director: Lisa Gottlieb
Writers: Dennis Feldman, Jeff Franklin; based on William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”
Stars: Joyce Hyser, Clayton Rohner, Billy Jayne
It probably didn’t (at least not consciously), and that’s a smart choice by writers Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin. “Just One of the Guys” isn’t a lecture about The Patriarchy. Still, Terry’s irked reaction leads to a great premise: She enrolls in another school as a male, giving herself another (and she thinks, better) chance in the contest.
The relationship between Terry and Rick (Clayton Rohner) ends up quite interesting, because he believes Terry is his new male friend the whole time. And we believe that he believes it, because Hyser truly does seem like a guy. She’s stylized, doing a “guy accent” and strutting around in exaggerated fashion, but again, it was the Eighties. Terry is secretly falling for Rick, though, and there’s genuine emotion in play.
That’s not to say this isn’t from the Hughesian era of bullies (William Zabka does his “Karate Kid” villain 10 times better – or worse) and sex-obsessed teen boys (Billy Jayne’s Buddy, who would slot right in to “Weird Science,” is unusually open about his sex obsession with sister Terry).
But director Lisa Gottlieb never loses sight of the “rom” part of rom-com, also giving nice arcs to Terry’s bestie Denise (Toni Hudson) and even the ridiculous Buddy. Except for its villain, “Just One of the Guys” has a big heart for its characters, and it’s unpredictable enough that you won’t know how it’s gonna play out.
‘She’s the Man’
The poster for “Just One of the Guys” suggests Terry joins the football team. She doesn’t, but maybe that poster inspired “She’s the Man,” wherein Amanda Bynes’ Viola (as you can see, writer Ewan Leslie, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith keep the Shakespearean names) joins a boys’ soccer team at the rival school. Circumstances work out so she can take over the identity of her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk).
“She’s the Man” (2006)
Director: Andy Fickman
Writers: Ewan Leslie, Karen McCullah, Kirsten Smith; based on William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”
Stars: Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey, Channing Tatum
Director Andy Fickman’s film has bigger laughs than the counterpart from 21 years earlier, but it’s more of a fantasy exercise. Unlike Hyser’s turn, Bynes’ performance as Sebastian would not be convincing in the real world; even her look doesn’t totally sell it, even though she gets a lot more help (via sideburns and thick eyebrows) than Terry did. That actually isn’t a problem for “She’s the Man’s” likeability, if the viewer is willing to accept the ridiculousness.
Channing Tatum shows a hint of the comic chops that would serve him well on “21 Jump Street.” Tatum’s Duke grows close to his roommate, “Sebastian,” but also falls for Violet, whom he sees in girl form in a carnival kissing booth. As such, we don’t get the compelling weirdness of “Just One of the Guys.” Instead, we get a “girls can do anything that guys can do” soccer game finale, luckily not too heavy-handed.
“She’s the Man” is not exactly a love triangle (or any shape) but rather a love line wherein Person A loves Person B, who loves Person C, and so forth. It’s all spelled out on the poster. Although one of my favorite relationships is there for an odd-coupling punchline — shy Toby (Brandon Jay McLaren) and nerdy-but-wild Eunice (Emily Perkins) – the “who likes whom” stuff drives the film in a heartfelt way.
While Bynes’ performance as “Sebastian” is absurd – she tries that “guy accent” but fails – the film gives her enough set-ups to show off. At the carnival, Violet must find ways to change back and forth “Mrs. Doubtfire”-style, doing so on a tilt-a-whirl and in a ball pit. Smaller moments also connect, like when “Sebastian” is helping Duke with a trial run of talking to a girl. “Sebastian” does his girl voice, and it’s so accurate that it weirds out Duke.
People are people
Interestingly, neither film makes a statement about profound differences between genders (except for the surface stuff, as breasts and genitalia of course must be accounted for – off-screen in “She’s the Man,” somewhat on-screen in “Just One of the Guys”). That’s part of the point in both cases.
The stereotypes about how guys and girls act when there isn’t someone of the other gender present are indeed stereotypes, as Terry and Violet learn via their undercover missions. Or at worst, they’re social performances. Guys aren’t sex-obsessed monsters; the ones that are sex-obsessed, like Buddy, are pitiable jokes.
These high school “Twelfth Nights” don’t present incompatible Mars-Venus situations. Despite their comedic premises, “Just One of the Guys” and “She’s the Man” believe men are from Earth, and so are women.
“Just One of the Guys”: 4 stars
“She’s the Man”: 3.5 stars