Sydney White
By Karen WilsonAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language, sexual humor and partying.
Theatrical Release: September 21, 2007
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Plot: A down-to-earth tomboy, Sydney White goes away to college where she hopes to rush her beloved dead mother’s sorority, Kappa Phi Nu. Unfortunately, the ultra-blonde Rachel Witchburn, who runs the school as Kappa Phi Nu’s president, is jealous of Sydney’s kind and guileless ways and rejects her from the sorority. Sydney finds refuge with a group of seven campus misfits, and one princely fraternity brother, and together they fight to take back the school from Rachel by winning the student body election.
Sex/Nudity: Some chaste kissing, a girl-hungry dork discusses sex (although get nowhere near having it) and the seven dorks get talked into striping in a prank by some of the mean sorority girls.
Violence/Gore: None, but some raucous college partying.
Profanity: The meanest girl at the sorority is called a ho (as in “hi ho,” a not-so-clever reference to the Seven Dwarves source material) and a "bitch," a few times.
Which Kids Will Like It?
It’s much too mature for toddlers with the college setting despite the frothy, fairy tale origins. School-age girls will undoubtedly be fascinated by the trials and tribulations of college-aged women who look like size 2 dolls. However, some underage drinking (including one of the seven dorks doing a keg stand) and some mild swearing sprinkled throughout might be inappropriate for the really impressionable. But Bynes’ willingness to play smart and socially awkward characters that still manage to get the boy should make her a hero to tween age group. She’ll charm the socks off your pre-teen daughter, though your teenage sons may be ogling her fitted American Eagle tank tops for a different reason.
Will Parents Like It?
The brand of entertainment here isn’t artistic or hugely engaging for adults but it’s fun loving and has good messages for pre-teen girls struggling with school cliques.
Kaboose Review: Since her Nickelodeon days hamming it up on her variety television program, The Amanda Show, Amanda Bynes has shown she has an ear for self-deprecating comedy. The projects she has appeared in since then have maintained a level of good-natured fun and aww shucks innocence even though we’ve watched the actress mature into a fetching young woman. In movies like What A Girl Wants and She’s The Man or on her CW show What I Like About You, Bynes always plays a level-headed, nice girl struggling with familial relationships or friendship conflicts and whose biggest fashion concern is color coordinating the rest of a casual outfit to her Chuck Taylor sneakers.
In her newest movie loosely based on the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fairy tale, Bynes has graduated to a college setting but she’s still sporting the comfy Chucks. A natural tomboy who grew up on her father’s construction sites, Sydney arrives at Southern Atlantic University intending to rush her mother’s sorority Kappa Phi Nu. However an affinity for the campus geeks with her comic book collection and “difficulty speaking Priss” as she says, makes her an instant enemy target for the queen bee, Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton). Instead of asking a mirror who is the fairest of them all, this modern evil queen consults a Hot or Not ranking on a campus MySpace page. Sydney sticks out like a sore thumb in the sorority circles since she eats a hearty breakfast, isn’t materialistic, and is always quick to help others.
At the pledge dance, Rachel humiliates Sydney by revoking her bid to join the sorority because Sydney has charmed the coolest frat boy on campus and Rachel’s ex, Tyler. With nowhere to turn, Sydney moves in with the seven campus dorks who reside in a dilapidated house on Greek Row called the Vortex. With Sydney’s help the dorks begin to come out of their shells, and to regain some power on campus they form an inclusive student council party called the Seventh Power to run for office.
For fairy tale purists, the scriptwriters have also worked a poisoned apple and a deep slumber into the plot but it’s too contrived to get into. Regardless, rewarding goodness was the central moral of the original Snow White story and it’s a welcome change to see those virtues translated into a modern movie. Hopefully young girls will want to emulate Bynes, with her clever problem solving skills, strong work ethic and appreciation for varied social groups on campus. Though one hopes they won’t pick up any makeup tips from her character, as the makeup artist has slathered her face with about a pound of lip-gloss and sparkling eye shadow.
Some of the cast members and crew may also look familiar to fans of teen programming: Nussbaum previously directed Sleepover, Paxton was the titular fish in the popular mermaid movie Aquamarine, and some of the seven dorks had roles on Freaks and Geeks and The Gilmore Girls.
Directed by: Joe Nussbaum
Cast: Amanda Bynes (Sydney White), Sara Paxton (Rachel), Matt Long (Tyler), Jack Carpenter (Lenny), Crystal Hunt (Dinky), Danny Strong (Gurkin), Sam Levine (Spanky)
Karen Wilson is a freelance writer living in New York City.
Star Rating
3 Stars
